Rebel
by Hecate's Diamon
Summary: Drew's been kicked out of all the girls camps and now she's at Camp Green Lake. Now the question is, how long will they be able to contain her? While she sleeps, she dreams, and relives memories she'd rather forget. Might be ZigZagOC, haven't decided yet.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I decided to rewrite and repost this story because I kept coming up with different ideas and changes so here's the revised version of _Wouldn't You Like to Know? _

Disclaimer: I don't own holes nor any of its characters. This disclaimer is going to count for the whole story so if you don't see it in later chapters, that's why.

Hecate's Diamon

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Chapter 1

Drew's head smacked off the window for what she felt was the billionth time. She'd been too weary to care up until then and had ignored the consistent throbbing on the side of her head. The dirty yellow school bus hit another rut in the road and she jerked her head away from the window with an angry growl. She scowled out the window as her eyes went out of focus. Her scowling reflection stared back at her out of the dirty window separating her from the endless desert outside of the bus. Drew had straight, layered, dark brown hair framing her lightly tanned face. Her ocean blue eyes appeared to have an icy glint to them, shielding her emotions. She could see her black t-shirt in the window's ghostly reflection and the thin silver chain suspending the silver Chinese dragon pendant with sapphires for eyes. She sighed and forced her eyes to refocused in time to see the beginning of hundreds of holes dug in the ground.

"What's with all the holes?" Drew asked the guard sitting at the front of the bus. The big black man turned slowly towards her and stared as if he was considering her.

He took a deep breath and said, "Its what the boys do every day." Drew was confused.

"Then what do the girls do?" she asked curiously. The simple question raised a chuckle from the guard.

"Girls? What girls? Its an all boys camp. The Wardens the only woman there. She's tough, though." The guard turned back around to stare out the front windshield once more.

"Wait..." Drew started, attempting to comprehend the situation. "All boys camp? No girls?"

"That's right."

"Why the hell am I going to an all boys camp in the middle of the fucking desert?" Drew yelled, jumping to her feet. The bus went over another bump in the road and sent Drew flying over the seat in front of her. She righted herself and glared demandingly at the guard.

He seemed to be amused. The corners of his lips twitched upwards in what Drew was sure should have been a smile.

"Well, you managed to get yourself kicked out of ever girl's correctional facility our country has to offer," he explained slowly as if she were a particularly slow person. "And none of the jails would take you; considering your history and all."

Drew thought about her history with the judicial system. Her past was not something most people would be proud of but she somehow took pride in knowing that no girls incarceration facility in the country could contain her for very long. The longest she'd ever been in a jail or a correctional facility was three months. At her young age of fifteen she'd been in and out of jail and correctional facilities for three and a half years and raised enough hell in the four or five years before that.

"I see your point," she mumbled to the guard who only chuckled as a response. "How much longer until we get there?"

"We're here," he replied simply as the bus came to a halt. she looked out her window but saw only more holes. She glanced out the other side and saw a whole camp.  
"What the hell?" She muttered under her breath while slowly raising from the seat.  
"C'mon, girl, follow me," The guard ordered. Drew awkwardly gathered her duffel bag into her small hands which was quite an accomplishment considering her hands were handcuffed together in front of her. She trudged down the isle and off the bus, letting the hot,dry air rush over her. Her feet raised small clouds of dust as soon as they hit the hard, dry ground. The guard paused to tie up his shoe and Drew took the opportunity to take in her surroundings. There were six large, green tents scattered around the camp labeled A-F, five wooden buildings, a nice cabin surrounded by two or three trees, and a smaller, newer looking cabin beside it. A water spigot stood in the middle of the camp and about twelve teenaged boys lounged around on the porches of the tents and buildings.

"Girl?" The guard had risen without her realizing it and began walking in the direction of one of the buildings. She trotted to catch up to him and followed him into an small, cluttered, air conditioned office. Filing cabinets, a desk, a mini fridge, a few cupboards, and two chairs occupied the room along with an tough looking, pot bellied man behind the desk, feet propped up. When Drew and the guard entered, his head immediately snapped to the door and his squinting eyes followed them. A few second passed before the man stood, turned around and opened the mini fridge.

"This is the little hell raiser we've been hearing so much about?" he asked the guard, his back still turned.

"Yep, fresh out of The Stocks-the girls detention camp over in South Dakota. Last one in the country and none of the jails will take her. So here she is in all of her demonic glory." The guard made Drew sound like the worst girl America had to offer!

"Thank you, really, I appreciate it," she said sarcastically to the guard standing behind her. He chuckled but the pot bellied man reached over the desk and smacked her upside the head.

"Damn, what the hell was that for?" she demanded angrily, rubbing her head tenderly.

"It was because you're being disrespectful! You're gonna learn a couple lessons while you're here for sure! I'll make sure of it!" The man yelled. "I'm Mr.Sir, when you speak to me you'll address me by that name. Is that clear!" He handed the guard a bottle of Cola and accepted the clipboard the guard handed him.

"Clear as crystal, dude," Drew replied. He gave her a warning glare before sitting back in his chair and looking at the paper work the guard had handed him.

"Hell, girl, you've caused more trouble in fifteen years than most people hope to accomplish in two lifetimes!" Mr.Sir proclaimed loudly. "Says here you made a couple counselors cry at a couple of your former detention camps! Get up, follow me." He heaved himself out of his chair with a minimal amount of difficulty and led Drew out the door, into the sun, and then into a second building. Orange jumpsuits, empty jugs, goggles, gloves, towels, and sheets cluttered the poorly crafted shelves and cupboards pushed up against the walls. A teenaged boy in an orange jumpsuit sat behind a clear table, feet propped up. As soon as Mr.Sir and Drew entered he swung his legs down and shot up.

"Good afternoon, Mr.Sir," he said cautiously. Mr.Sir ignored him and began collecting things from around the room. Drew took a glance at the boy who was openly staring at her. She smiled weakly at him before Mr.Sir began talking again.

"You get two sets of clothes, one for work, one for relaxation. After three days your relaxation clothes become your work clothes and your work clothes are washed. Change now." He tossed two orange jumpsuits at her feet.

Drew picked up one of the orange jumpsuits and asked, "Here?"

"Yes, here," Mr.Sir confirmed. He saw Drew's eyes drift slowly over to the boy behind the table and eye him warily. "Turn around, Carp," he barked at the boy and he himself turned around. Drew quickly changed into the orange jumpsuit but left her black t-shirt on under it.

"Okay," she said and the boy - Carp, and Mr.Sir turned back around. Mr.Sir continued with his speech throwing other items at Drew's feet, or at Drew in general. A heavy boot hit her on the side of her head, sending her slightly off balance followed by an empty jug, a towel, a set of sheets, and a pair of gloves and googles.

"You are to dig one hole each day, five feet in height, five feet in diameter. Your shovel," the boy handed him a tall shovel, "is your measuring stick. Longer it takes you to dig, the longer you'll be out in the hot sun. Watch out for the yellow spotted lizards and rattlesnakes. Now the Warden has said we can't check your bag because of 'womanly reasons' so you better not be hiding anything in there. Here comes Pendanski to take you to your tent."

Sure enough a couple seconds later the screen door banged open and Drew swung around to face a ridiculously clad, sun burnt man. He was wearing a broad-brimmed hat, a short sleeve button up shirt, khaki shorts and dirty, formerly white, socks pulled up to his knees. His face was badly bruised on the left side and his nose was coated with white sunscreen. He had a foolish smile on his face revealing a gap between his two front, yellowed teeth. "Drew Cathers?" he asked happily.

"Yes..." Drew replied cautiously.

"I'm Dr.Pendanski. I'll be your counselor here at Camp Green Lake. I'd just like you to know that even though you've done some bad things that does not make you a bad person. I respect you, Drew." He smiled again and Drew laughed as she accepted the tokens Mr.Sir thrust into her hand.

"Shower tokens," he said as way of an explanation. Drew nodded at him and returned her attention to Pendanski.

"Whatever makes you so happy, you'd do best to reduce the dosage!" she said. She heard Mr.Sir snicker behind her and the chuckle of the boy. Pendanski chose to ignore the comment and strutted out of the building. Drew dropped the tokens into her pocket and followed him.

"You'll be in D Tent. 'D' stands for Diligence." He waltzed right up to one of the large green tents. "Boys, are you decent?"

"Does it matter?" a voice came from within.

"It does this time," Pendanski answered cheerily.

"Okay fine, Mom, Yeah, we're good," the same voice answered. Pandanski swept through the tent flaps and into the tent. Drew followed closely behind him. Seven orange-clad boys sat on cots spread throughout the room.

"Oh, good, you're all here!" Pandanski said excitedly. "Boys, this is Drew."

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Author's Note: So there's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did review, please. If you didn't, tell me why. Asta!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I only got two reviews! I'm disappointed :( ---See! I'm sad! Gimme three more reviews and I'll update again, unless I have nothing better to do. So if I don't have a total of 5 reviews, you'd better hope I'm bored! Here's Chapter 2...

Hecate's Diamon

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Chapter 2

The six boys openly stared at her and an awkward silence fell over the tent. Drew observed her new tent mates and her new home. There was a large black boy, a skinny black boy, a tall cute blond boy, a cute Hispanic guy, a brown haired boy chewing on a toothpick absentmindedly, and a short blond boy sitting in the corner twitching uncontrollably. Eight cots, two of which were empty, were divided into groups of four and positioned along each side of the tent. Two empty milk crates took up residence under each cot, usually blue but a couple white and green ones were mixed in. Four lanterns, spaced out evenly, hung from the long tent pole above their heads supporting the heavy green canvas. It was cooler inside the tent, though, the sunlight bled through the canvas just enough to light up the room, but not enough to blind you. Pendanski was finally the one to break the silence.

"Drew, these are your new tent mates," he said cheerily, "Theodore, Rex, Ricky, Jose, Alan, and Brian."Annoyed sighs or even growls rose from the throats of the six boys around the tent. "Don't be alarmed, Drew," Pendaski said reassuringly, waving a hand at the boys. "They weren't growling at you!"

"Since when I was _alarmed_?" Drew shot back at him, sarcastically."

"I-I didn't," Pendanski stuttered. "Um... The boys will help you settle in and show you around the camp, won't you, boys?" The boys nodded or muttered their accent around the tent. "Excellent! The cot beside Jose's will be yours. I suppose I'll be seeing you later then, Drew!" Pendaski swept out of the tent, only tripping on a shoe once on his way out. Drew smiled wryly and turned back to the six boys.

"Mom always gets our names wrong!" The skinny back boy said. Drew couldn't remember which one he was but he seemed to be the leader. "I'm X-Ray, thats Armpit, Zig Zag, Magnet, Squid, and Twitch."

"Nicknames?" Drew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah but here we use them as our only names!" Squid answered for them all.

"I see," Drew replied slowly, _Awkward silence_, she thought. "Which cot's mine? Who's Jose?" she finally asked, looking at each boy quickly.

"Well, that'd be _Magnet_, not Jose, _Magnet_," X-Ray stressed the boys name and pointed to the Hispanic boy sitting on the third from last cot on the right side of the tent. The cot to his right was empty. Drew trudged over to the cot and lowered her duffel bag to the ground beside it. The boys returned slowly to normality, or at least normality for a delinquent camp. She gave one last glance around before dropping to her knees and dragging one of her milk crates from under the bed. When she'd unzipped her duffel bag, the first thing she went for was her big feather pillow, which she tossed on top of her cot. She unpacked her minimal about of clothing into the first crate, plus her extra jumpsuit, and unloaded her sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, and other toiletries into the second one, leaving her battery-operated CD player, CDs, mp3 player, extra batteries of varying sizes, and other electronics in her bag. She shoved it under the bed and rose to her feet and began attending to her sheets.

So... What did you do?" X-Ray asked casually. All movement stopped around the tent as all the boys listened intently for her answer. Drew continued making up her bed and smiled slowly.

"Made a couple counselors cry, beat up seven, no wait," Drew though for a minute. "Yeah, seven other girls. Threw batteries into fire and they blew up, started a small fire in one of the camps' counselors' cabins, and trashed a warden's cabin. He didn't like me very much. In a nut shell; I got kicked out of all the girls detention camps."

A grin was pasted on the boys' faces and X-Ray shook his head. "Impressive," he praised with an approving nod. "But what did you do to get sent to a detention camp in the first place?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said teasingly. Protests rose from the boys which made Drew laugh. "Relax, I'll tell you when I feel like it."

"Do you feel like it yet?" X-Ray asked grumpily. Drew smiled at him coyly, brushed off her sheets, and dropped down onto them.

"Aww! Mr. Grumpy!" she taunted as she laced her fingers behind her head. X-Ray was the only one who didn't laugh at Drew's comment. He looked angry but apparently his duty as leader of D-Tent over took his annoyance as her nodded at Magnet.

"Magnet'll show you around. Right, Magnet?" he asked the Hispanic boy.

"Of course!" Magnet said happily, grinning at Drew as he leaped eagerly to his feet. "Let's go!" he said with the same huge grin and led her out of the tent.

Magnet began to pointed out the various buildings to Drew grinning at her after every comment. Drew realized after his second comment that he was a born joker. "There's the rec room, everything's broken in there. You should see the pool table! The showers are there, the bathroom, which is a work in progress." He laughed. "They just started building it when Caveman ran away. There's the mess hall and Mr. Sir's office and then there's the Warden's cabin. The number one rule at Camp Green Lake is do not upset the Warden, really. She's a _bitch_!" Magnet stressed the last word and chuckled.

"Well thanks for the five minute tour,Magnet," Drew said appreciatively. "It was eventful!" Magnet's look suddenly turned to one of annoyance and he sighed exasperatedly. Drew looked at him questioningly.

"Its about to be," was his only answer before grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him.

"What's wrong?" she asked and tried to break free from Magnet's hold. He held onto her firmly, eliminating any chance she had to get out of his hold without hurting him. She settled for peeking around the slightly taller boy and caught sight of three other boys trudging towards them.

"Who're they?" She asked curiously, studying them. One was a couple inches taller than Magnet, with brown hair, A lanky frame, and an arrogant swagger in his step. The one on his left boasted a muscled upper torso and blond hair. He looked like a bastard through and through. The third boy was the boy Drew had seen in the equipment room. What had Mr. Sir called him? Carp? He looked annoyed, even a bit worried.

"A couple of the biggest bastards you'll ever meet," Magnet answered sardonically. He began to drag her back to the tent but one of the boys called after them.

"So its true, there's a whore in D-Tent!"

Magnet whipped around, unintentionally dragging Drew around with him. For a five foot seven boy, he was strong! His hand was still firmly gripped around her wrist with no intention of letting go. "No whores in D-Tent, sorry. Might be a couple man-whores in F-Tent, though. I heard from another guy in F-Tent that Wrench gives good blow jobs." Drew chuckled. _Not bad_, she thought.

"Just let us see the girl and you won't get anymore brain damage!" the boy said, face red with anger. The muscled boy beside him was also red-faced and Drew figured he was Wrench.

"Brain damage! If you can't see her,right now, in plain view, _you_ are the one with brain damage,hey" Magnet said. "Now go get rid of your boner. Wrench would be happy to help you out, wouldn't you Wrench?" The muscled boy growled as a response. "Yep! See? He's already all excited. He's growling he's so eager!" Carp's lips twitched upwards in an amused smile but it faded quickly when they heard Pendanski's voice drift across the camp to them.

"Dinner time boys! Into the Mess with you or else you'll go to bed hungry, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?" He yelled in his overly cheery voice. He strutted between them on his way to C-Tent, smiling like an idiot. "Good evening, Drew. Are you finding our boys accommodating?"

Drew heard snickers from the two boys behind Pendanski and then a muttered, "I'd be more than happy to _accommodate_ her!" She smiled sweetly at Pendanski.

"They aren't perfect, of course, but D-Tent is great. And these boys from F-Tent were nice enough to come and welcome me to Camp!" Pendanski didn't catch the evident sarcasm in her voice as he turned to the three F-Tent boys and smiled broadly.

"Good job, boys! I'm so proud of you! Like I've always said, 'It should be no labour to be nice to your neighbour'! Well done!" He then continued on his way and strutted into C-Tent. A surprised yell could be heard from the interior of the large green tent and then Pendanski's voice.

"Really, Cory, put some clothes on!"

Drew laughed, she couldn't help it. She looked up at Magnet and he didn't seem surprised but laughed anyway.

"Crew never has his clothes on," he said as way of explanation. Drew laughed harder, she didn't know why. She was in a boys juvenile delinquent camp and she thought everything was funny and life couldn't get better.

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Author's Note: There ya go! Chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed it. Remember, five reviews! Asta!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, everyone who reviewed, especially **chickapaladin324. **I truely enjoyed reading your review but it doesnt appear you write at all. I suggest you try your hand at writing before you go bitching at other people about theirs. But still, thanks for the review! Here's Chapter 3 for all of you who enjoyed it!

Hecate's Diamon

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Chapter 3

Magnet led the way into the nearly deserted mess hall, Drew following closely behind him. The room was cluttered by six or seven large picnic tables, a serving counter, and a semi-enclosed kitchen. Only about twelve orange-clad boys loitered about the mess hall at various tables, a steel serving tray spread before them laden with what appeared be Drew as twice regurgitated dog vomit, pond scum, two slices of bread with the same properties of concrete, and something similar to her great aunt Agnes' meat surprise. No one actually knew what kind of meat was included in the chunky brown 'surprise' her aunt called food. It all, actually, looked like regurgitated food. A mental alarm went of in her mind desperately screaming _Don't even think about putting that shit anywhere near your mouth!_ Drew silently agreed with it, begging the (hopefully) merciful Lord that she wouldn't need to put that crap within a foot of her mouth.

As Magnet led her into the line assembled along the serving counter she soon learned the Lord was definitely_ not_ merciful! The dog vomit, stale bread, pond scum, and meat surprise were being spooned onto the steel trays the boys held with large steel ladles. _Great! _she thought sarcastically, _Its like family gatherings every day! _The line quickly progressed towards the anonymous goop until Drew was standing in front of the first, stunned boy. She raised an eyebrow at him and ran a finger tip lightly from the underside of his chin up to his bottom lip and said in a low growl, "Its rude to stare." He snapped out of his reverie and cleared his throat while dumping the spoonful of vomit onto her tray and blushing profusely. Drew smiled and moved onto the next boy who was managing the pond scum. At the end of the line she followed Magnet's example and grabbed two slices of concrete bread and he led her to an empty picnic table where they were soon joined by the rest of D-Tent.

Drew's resulting place was squished tightly between Zig Zag and Squid who both towered over her by about nine inches. She was barely noticeable between the two tallest boys in D-Tent. Needless to say, she felt very short! She shoveled a spoonful of the dog vomit into her mouth and almost gagged. _Shit! Its shit!_ her mind screamed hysterically. The boys around her laughed good-naturedly and Zig Zag rubbed her back.

"I know it tastes like shit but you get used to it after a while!" he told her, a wide grin spread across his face. She couldn't help but smile, despite the disagreeable taste in her mouth, it's after taste was even worse than it's original taste. She gulped down her water and slammed the cup onto the table, pushing the steel tray away from her with distaste clearly written all over her face.

"Wasting food?" Armpit asked, disapprovingly.

"Hell yeah! Unless you guys want it?" Drew said, crossing her arms over her chest. and glaring at the offending food.

"Are you sure? You might want to eat it. You have to dig tomorrow..." Squid inquired, concerned.

"Trust me, I'll be fine!" Drew said firmly. She looked up and they were all still peering at her anxiously. She softened her face slightly and said wryly, "I'm tougher than you think. It's okay. Eat it!" The boys slowly divided up her food onto their own plates and devoured it in silence. D-Tent made their way slowly back to the tent and Drew dropped down onto her cot while the boys did whatever it was they did when they got back from dinner. Drew closed her eyes and sighed. The bus ride had worn her out and her head still hurt from the window. _There's gonna be a bruise_, she thought resentfully. She half leaped, half fell off her cot and stumbled over to her bag where she yanked out her CD player and turned it on. The screaming voices of Senses Fail filled the tent and she sighed contentedly, unpacking her clothes into crates.

"How'd you get that past Mr. Sir?" X-Ray asked. Drew knew he was still angry with her but his curiosity got the better of him.

"He didn't do a full cavity search," she replied dryly, secretly laughing at the man's ridiculous name.

The boys burst out laughing, even X-Ray.

"No, really," X-Ray pressed, "How'd you get it past him?"

"The Warden told him he couldn't search my bag because of 'womanly reasons'," Drew answered truthfully. "Sometimes it pays to be a girl, eh?"

"What's up with the 'eh'?" Squid joked. "You Canadian or something?" The boys around the tent laughed. Drew nodded.

"Until I was eleven. Then I moved to the U.S. just in time to be charged for the very first time!" She chuckled reminiscently. The boys looked interested.

"What did you do?" Armpit asked curiously, smiling.

"Went with my brother and his friends and stole sixty dollars worth of chocolate bunnies from a Costco store. It was at the end of March, you know, when they start bringing out out the Easter stuff?" Drew answered. Her dad had gotten a call from the police that day at work telling him they had his son and daughter in custody. Drew's father had been anticipating the call and wasn't the least bit surprised when he had to go down to the city jail and bail them out.

The tent erupted in laughter and Drew began to chuckle too.

"How old were you?" Twitch asked, gasping for breath.

"It was my twelfth birthday that morning and my dad was basically expecting the call," she answered. "Riley was seventeen then and, boy, did he get it when we got home. Dad was used to him being arrested but he was pissed that he'd gotten me arrested!"

"So you started criminalizing yourself on your twelfth birthday?" Zig Zag asked.

Drew shook her head sheepishly and began changing into her pajamas: a baggy red and white t-shirt and airy black track pants. "Nah, I started when i was seven, when my mom died. Me and my brothers went out of control and my dad couldn't do anything except sit back and watch it happen."

"Sorry your mom died," X-ray said quietly.

Drew shrugged and began folding back the sheets to climb into bed. "Not your fault and it happened a long time ago anyway."

"Why couldn't your dad control you and your brother, though?" Zig Zag asked curiously.

"His job. He was pretty involved in it and once my mom died, he completely immersed himself in it. We took care of ourselves most of the time. Whenever he went away on business trips, which was as often as he could, he would call up my half-sister, from his first marriage, and he would tell her to come up and stay with us. She was twenty-one when my mom died so she was old enough to take care of us. When Riley turned seventeen dad decided we didn't need a babysitter anymore and he would just leave us alone. So we'd have parties." Drew grinned. "Those were fun except the cops usually showed up by the end of the night and shut us down. That sucked."

"It must have sucked never having your dad around?" Twitch asked.

"Not really," Drew said, "We were alone so often that we just kinda got used to it. He'd be home and we wouldn't notice and then he'd leave again and it'd be like he was never there in the first place. We were usually too busy raising hell to care about what was going on at home. Goodnight!"

The tent fell silent except for the whispery din of sheets being rearranged and then bodies flopping down into cots. Drew thought about the boys surrounding her and her home life. For each boy surrounding her she was reminded of one of her friends from home. Squid even reminded her of Jay. She sighed. She was going to be okay here, even without Jay. She might even have fun. Sleep finally washed over Drew and not even Armpit's discordant snores awakened her from her deep slumber.

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Author's Note: I'll update if I get 3 more reviews, even if they're bad. I'd really enjoy another review from **chickapaladin324** too. Asta!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Hecate's Diamon

Chapter 4

A blasting trumpet rudely awoke Drew the next morning. She started at the protuberant racket before relaxing and pulling a pillow over her head, groaning drowsily into her cot's mattress. _Life's a bitch,_ she thought pessimistically. She felt a set of hands on her back, belonging to one of the boys, rattling her awake.

"Okay, okay!" she grumbled flipping onto her back and sitting up in bed. Magnet and Squid were still abed, X-Ray was no where to be seen, and the remainder of D-Tent's residents were out of bed and in the process of changing. She rubbed her eyes lazily, stretching the muscles in her hands out, flung the sheets off of herself, and tumbled out of bed and onto the floor. She rummaged through her crates searching for a tank top, underwear, socks, and a bra. It was too dark to see under her cot so she felt for what she was looking for. She came out with a tank top, a bra, and two pairs of underwearShe changed her underclothes under her blanket adn then proceeded to dress into her outerclothes.

She turned to Twitch. "What are you lookin' at?" she slurred as she attempted to put a pair of underwear on her foot. She shook her head and flopped to the floor, researching her crate for socks.

"Drew, there's still guys in here," Twitch said slowly as if he was talking to a particularly slow person. The truth was, this early in the morning Drew _was_ quite slow.

"So?" she asked, fishing a pair of blue ankle socks from the bottom of her crate.

"You were just mostly naked," Twitch explained.

She shrugged. "Its like wearing a bikini in front of guys. There isn't really a difference." She proceeded to pull the sock on and heard Twitch laugh nervously. Ignoring him she pulled on a mysteriously-coloured tank top and then the jumpsuit. She tied the sleeves around her waist and forced her hair into a bandanna. She found the heavy boots she'd been given the day before, slipped her feet into them and tied them extremely slowly, numb fingers stumbling with the intricate knots required to secure the boots. She straightened and stumbled out of the tent and into Magnet and Zig Zag, toothbrush in hand. She swayed unstably and flung her arms out to steady herself. Zig Zag grabbed one of her arms to help while Magnet laughed.

"She's worse than I am!" he declared loudly to the tall blond boy.

"Uh huh," Zig Zag agreed, leading Drew to the side of the tent. Magnet followed them and prepared his toothbrush.

"Shit, man, what time is it?" Drew asked, rubbing her eyes again before squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush and shoving it in her mouth.

Magnet spit and then answered, "Four am." Drew shook her head.

"Its still night time!" she whined. Zig Zag chuckled.

"Cute," he said. "The baby girl didn't get enough sleep!"

"That's right," Drew agreed lazily. The rest of D-Tent joined them and they went as a group to the shovel shed Magnet had shown her yesterday. The Library's doors were unlocked and thrown open, five racks of shovels occupying the interior of the shack. Drew blindly grabbed a shovel and dragged it after Twitch and Squid.

"C'mon, girl, open them eyes!" Mr.Sir barked. She glared sleepily at him and his coffee mug.

"You have coffee! We have," she slapped her hand down onto the stack of tortillas slathered in honey, "these. So shut your big mouth before something unfortunate happens to your teeth!" She toasted him and his coffee mug and big mouth with her tortilla and continued on her way, unaware of the angry look on Mr.Sir's face, the amused look on Pendanski's or the grins and chuckles emitting from the other juvenile delinquents. Mr.Sir got into his truck and drove out onto the dry, cracked lake bed, trailing a cloud of dust. The orange-clad teenagers following slowly behind him.

Drew took a large bite from her tortilla, chewing slowly. She barely tasted it at all. Zig Zag walked on one side of her, cramming three tortilla's into his mouth, and Magnet walked on her other side, almost as tired as she herself was. Mr. Sir stopped at a fresh, unbroken area of earth and hopped out of his truck. As the boys got to work, spacing themselves out and digging into the ground Mr. Sir waddled towards her, hands tucked into his belt. If he hadn't been waddling and hadn't been wearing a pink shirt he may have looked intimidating. He reached her and slapped her upside the head for the second time since she'd been there.

He smiled, satisfied as she rubbed the back of her head and glared at him. "That was for-"

"I know what it was for!" Drew interrupted him. "I know I deserved it."

"Well then you've learned something already," Mr.Sir said happily.

"Hell no, I learned that when I was a baby," Drew interrupted again. Mr Sir ignored her and led her to an untouched area beside X-Ray.

"You'll dig here. Five feet by five feet, remember. Don't come back to camp until you're done."

"What if I just decide not to come back at all?" Drew said sarcastically.

"Then you're buzzard food," Mr.Sir said and walked away. Drew watched him get into his truck and speed away in a cloud of dust before jamming her shovel into the dirt and jumping on it. She pulled the shovel full up and tossed it to the side. She'd only dug down an inch or two.

"Its too fucking early for this," she grumbled.

"Get used to it, princess," X-Ray mocked rudely, refusing to spare her even an insignificant glance.

Dawn came and the first rays of sunlight were beginning to show over the mountains to the east. It would have been a spectacular sight if Drew had cared to appreciate it. As the sun rose higher and higher into the sky the temperature shot up and the morning quickly became muggy. Drew could see the heat waves hovering just above the ground, distorting the images beyond. Drew dug deeper and deeper achieving about a foot by the time the water truck came by the first time. She dragged herself to the back of the line and waited while Pendanski filled the other boys' canteens. The line moved forward quickly and before she knew it Pendanski was grabbing her canteen from her hand and turning the spigot on the water spout.

"So how are you finding your first day digging?" he asked Drew conversationally. Drew shrugged indifferently.

"Life's a bitch," she replied lazily. "I deal with it."

"Now, now," Pendanski said. "Watch your language and that's no way to look at life. You may have screwed up right now but that can be fixed. Its only one time."

"Its been more than once, trust me," Drew laughed, accepting her canteen from Pendanski and taking a swig as she stalked away, leaving a puzzled Pendaski in her wake.

She stepped back into her foot-deep hole and continued digging. Sweat poured down her back and chest, brow and temples as the day became, if possible, even hotter. She had a three and a half foot deep hole by lunch time. Mr.Sir was driving this time He filled their canteens, handed out bologna and cheese sandwiches, gram crackers, and a bruised and battered apple to each of them and then got back into his truck and drove back to camp. She turned around to see all the boys heading to X-ray's hole. Squid waved her over and she was making her way towards the group when an arm shot out and grabbed her. He looked around to identify her captor as Zig Zag. She relaxed and let him drag her to his own hole, on the other side of the digging site.

"Was there a reason for that?" Drew questioned. Zig Zag sat her down and plopped down beside her.

"Yeah, its been bugging me all day," he said. "Who's Jay?"

"What?" Drew asked a little too quickly. She felt panicked and nervous. How did Zig Zag know about Jay?

"Jay? Who's Jay?" Zig Zag repeated. "You were muttering about him while you were sleeping last night." He looked questioningly down at her.

Drew was silent for a moment, deciding whether she should lie or not. Her rogue self won over. "Jay's not a guy. Her name's _Jay_la. She's an old friend of mine." Drew lied expertly. She'd had enough practice.

"You were dreaming about an old friend?" Zig Zag asked skeptically, an eyebrow cocked at her.

"Yeah," Drew lied again.

Zig Zag was silent for a moment. "If you say so," he said and rose, offering her a hand. She slowly reached for it and he pulled her up.

"Holy shit, how much do you weigh?" Zig Zag asked incredulously. "Five pounds?"

"Add a hundred and ten to that and yeah," Drew said absentmindedly, trying to recall her dreams from last night. _I dreamt about Jay_, she thought repeatedly. She followed Zig Zag over to X-Ray's hole for the rest of lunch, earning a glare from X-Ray, but payed no attention to the conversation. She mulled her thoughts over in her head as she chewed mechanically and as soon as she'd finished her food she left the circle of boys and returned to her hole.

The afternoon was the toughest part of the day. It was insufferably hot and she found herself wishing she was a boy, just so she didn't have to wear a shirt. X-Ray finished digging first, and went back to camp, followed by Armpit, then Squid, then Zig Zag then Magnet each of them spitting in their finished holes. Soon enough it was just Twitch and Drew left out on the lake bed. While she dug, Drew puzzled over why they spat in their holes, to distract herself from Jay, and finally asked Twitch.

"Its tradition," Twitch answered. "Since Camp Green Lake was started. You finish your hole, you spit in it."

"Why though?" Drew pressed.

"Dunno," Twitch answered simply and smiled over his hole at her. She wondered how he managed to get out of his holes. He didn't look much taller than five foot three inches. Then she began to wonder how _she'd _get out of _her_ hole? She was the same height as Twitch! To distract herself from her problem at hand she measured her hole all around and found it was just a bit shorter than five feet. _Well I'm sure Mr.Sir and Mom have better things to do than come around and measure all the holes every day_, she thought and made to leave but then a wave of guilt washed over her. _But that would be like cheating_, she thought. The boys didn't cheat so she shouldn't either. She sighed, dug the last two or three inches out of the bottom of the hole and jumped up the side of the hole, feet scrambling looking for a foothold. She found on on a small rock jutting out from the side of the hole and used that to help herself out of the hole. She started walking away before a laugh stopped her in her tracks.

"You didn't spit in your hole," Twitch called after her. Drew smiled wryly. She turned around and stalked back to her hole. She looked into the somewhat round hole and smiled. She'd managed her first hole. She spat into it, a feeling of finality came over her. _Maybe that's why they spit in their holes_. She thought. She walked back to camp, shovel dragging behind her.

Author's Note:


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thanks, to all my reviewers. You'll find out who Jay is later on in the story and to **FrostedWindows:** Write your own piece of shit story andlet me know so I can tell you _why_ it sucks. But I won't _flame_ you! Of course not. Because "A flamer is  
someone who doesn't say anything but 'your story sucks' " I'll tell you why! Thanks! And most non-retarded people won't continue reading a story they think sucks or is "dislikable".There's gotta be something keeping you coming back for more! If you "dislike" it so much stop reading it. Thanks!

Chapter 5

Drew traipsed into camp, tired and aching. She was about to toss her shovel into the pile when she noticed a flash of red on the handle. She looked closer and came to the conclusion it was her own blood. Two crimson hand prints were imprinted on the shovel, streams of blood slipping down the handle. She smiled. As morbid as it was, she found herself liking it. It would mark the shovel as her's.

She tossed the shovel into the shed and dragged her tired body into the tent. It was deserted except for Zig Zag, who was sleeping on top of his sheets, hugging his pillow. Drew smiled. She searched her crate for a towel and other bathing essentials, tossing them onto her cot before dropping back to the floor to retrieve her second set of orange clothes. She found it shoved into the bottom of her clothes crate, a pair of rolled socks in the sleeve. She dragged out a purple tank top and then stood up, quickly storing all of it in a small bag.

"God, you make enough noise to wake _me_ up," she heard Zig Zag say and then heard him shuffling around on his cot. She glanced up at him and gave him small smile.

"You shouldn't be sleeping at this time of day anyway," she replied simply as she strolled leisurely down the aisle between the cots.

"I lied," Zig Zag stated, heaving himself off his cot and following Drew out of the tent. "I wasn't sleeping."

"Just resting your eyes?" Drew asked, amused.

"Of course," Zig Zag answered indignantly. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Well lets see," Drew dryly said, "I have a towel, shampoo, body wash. And my shower tokens. I'd say I was going to take a shower."

"Alone?" Zig Zag asked skeptically.

"Well who was gonna come with me?" Drew joked and opened the door to one of the the empty shower stalls, hanging her bag on the hook located on the back of the door.

"Any of us," Zig Zag supplied. "We have to watch out for you. You're our responsibility. You have to remember not everyone is in here for harmless crimes like stealing or drugs. There _are_ sex offenders in here!"

Drew laughed. "I appreciate your concern but I'm sure I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry your pretty little head over me." She closed the door n his face and pulled off her shirt.

"I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be an insult but I'm gonna ignore it and stand guard so you don't get raped and we don't get in trouble from Mom," Zig Zag declared and she felt and heard him slap himself down onto the shower deck.

"What ever makes you feel needed, Zig," Drew said, smiling. She inserted her shower tokens and stood under the faucet. A blast of ice cold water greeted her and she couldn't help it, she screamed and jumped out of the cascade of icy water. She heard Zig Zag laugh.

"I forgot to tell you," he said innocently. "The showers at Camp Green Lake only have one temperature: cold. Very, very cold. Though it does feel good after a hard days work in the hot sun."

"Yeah, okay," Drew said bitterly. "My ass, you forgot!"

Zig Zag laughed again. "You better get back in there, baby girl, before your tokens run out and you don't shower today."

"I hate you," Drew stated through the wooden door. He chuckled again as Drew let a small scream escape her lips as she ducked back under the icy waterfall. She washed up as quickly as was possible and scrambled out of the cool stream. The water shut off as she was pulling the towel around her body. Her teeth chattered as she dried off and dressed. When she opened the shower door Zig Zag sat on the porch with another boy. He turned around when he heard her and smiled.

"Cold?" he asked innocently. Drew nodded numbly. The other boy turned around to look at her and she recognized him as Carp from F-Tent.

"Hello again," he said, looking her up and down. She smiled at him.

"Your the only half-decent guy in F-Tent, I hear?" she said conversationally and sat down between them. Carp nodded slowly.

"My tent mates can be bastards sometimes," he said and looked at Zig Zag. "Okay, so most of the time." He laughed. "But I'm not like them."

"What are they in for?" Drew asked, though she had a feeling she knew already.

"Well of the eight of us, six are in for sex offenses," Carp said hesitantly and then quickly added, "But not me! I'm in for fighting."

Drew smiled at him, "So am I."

"That's why your in here?" Zig Zag asked. Drew turned to him and nodded. "That's it?" Zig Zag queried. Drew nodded again. _If only it were that simple_, Drew thought. Zig Zag sighed. She smiled up at him and sprinted to the tent, leaving Zig Zag and Carp sitting on the shower deck. She put her things away and flopped down onto her cot, hitting the play button on her CD player. Tie Her Down by Senses Fail started up and she smiled. Such a violent song.

_So love me gently with a chainsaw_

_And take the glass against your wrist_

_You know I am your worst nightmare_

_Oh how you love my bloody kiss_

_But now its time to die_

_Your worth more dead!_

Drew sang along softly, closing her eyes. A few minutes passed and Martini Kiss came on.

_There's poison in my drinking glass_

_Don't stop just sip it down_

_And in a swirling masquerade of sound_

_My body hits the ground_

_I'm beautiful when I'm asleep_

_Martini kisses land _

_On my blistered blood scarlet lips_

_The bottles in my hand_

Magnet entered the tent, a bounce in his step, whistling along with the music. "Hey," he greeted her happily, a wide grin set on his face. "Got back before Twitch?" Drew nodded. "The kid's a slow digger anyway," he added, jumping onto his cot. Drew smiled.

"Enjoy digging your first hole?" he asked, lacing his fingers behind his head.

"Am I supposed to enjoy digging any of them?" Drew joked and held her hands out to Magnet for inspection.

"Ouch," he hissed but smiled all the same.

Drew shrugged, fishing a tube of antibacterial cream, gauze, and a pin out of her bag.

"What's the pin for?" Magnet asked curiously as he lowered himself onto her cot.

"Slivers," she said shortly and began working one out of her left hand. The blood she'd washed off in the shower was quickly replaced as she reopened cuts and inadvertently made new ones trying to remove the splinters. She managed to work 2 out of left hand before tuning to her right hand. _Damn, _she thought. She was right handed.

"Magnet?" she asked slowly. He turned his eyes to her from where they'd formerly been resting on the entrance of the tent. "Wanna help me get these ones out?" Drew asked, showing him the threes slivers embedded in her right palm.

"No way," Magnet said, shaking his head. "I don't wanna hurt you. And I don't like blood." Drew laughed.

"C'mon, please? You won't hurt me," Drew coaxed. Magnet continued to shake his head.

"I still don't like blood," he protested. Drew sighed and turned her attention to her right hand. _Here goes nothing_, she thought and began working away at her hand. She heard someone enter the tent and glanced up. It was Squid.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, glimpsing the pin in Drew's left hand and the blood on both.

"Trying to get these slivers out but _someone_ refused to help me so I'm butchering up my right hand," she replied, throwing Magnet a look.

Squid laughed. "Gimme the pin," he said. She obeyed and held her hand out to him. He bent over her hand, gently digging out a sliver. He had just worked out the last on when Drew suddenly she jerked her hand away, opening a new cut in her hand from the pin.

"Holy shit!" Squid exclaimed and worry immediately flashed across his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He repeated, panicked.

"No, no!" Drew soothed, trying to calm herself down at the same time. _He looked so much like Jay there!_ she thought. "It was my fault, I jerked my hand away," Drew continued. "Its okay, its not your fault!"

"I'm sorry," Squid repeated, handed her the pin back and rushed out of the tent.

"What was that about?" Magnet asked curiously as soon as the sound of Squids hasty steps faded.

"Nothing," Drew lied. _Why do I keep thinking and talking about Jay!_ Drew thought furiously at herself. _Magnet and Zig Zag are already suspicious. How long will it take the rest of them to find out?_ Drew forced a smile on her face, slathered anti-bacterial cream over the bloody mess of her hands and lightly bandaged them. "Is there anything to do here?" she asked, making an attempt to break the silence

Magnet sensed her discomfort and suggested, "Rec room?" Drew inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well I haven't been there yet," she agreed and followed him out of the tent. Zig Zag and Carp were still sitting on the shower porch, she noticed, and made a bee line for them.

"C'mon, boys," she said, grabbing their arms and pulling them to their feet.

"What?" Zig Zag asked. "Where are we going?"

"To Hell and back, how's that sound to you?" she said, leading them to the rec room.

"The rec room?" Carp asked. "Why?"

"Why not?" Drew countered. Carp looked like he was about to say something but instead closed his mouth and nodded approvingly. They entered the noisy rec room and Drew glanced around. The felt on the pool table was almost completely covered with translucent red Tuck Tape, the TV displayed pure static, the stereo's left side was smashed in and a set of weights in the right corner of the room were in use and looked to be the only thing in the room in decent condition. Immediately, Magnet abandoned them to join Squid, Armpit, and X-Ray in a game of pool. And Carp drifted away slowly to join the boys at the weights. Drew turned around to look at Zig Zag

"You gonna leave me too?" she asked, smiling.

The tall blond grinned and shook his head. "Not a chance." He pushed her in the direction of the television and couches. "C'mon, baby girl," he said and shoved her again.

"You could just tell me where were going, Zig," she stated.

"This is more fun," Zig Zag declared dryly and shoved her again. Drew growled and stalked off in the general direction of an empty couch. She could feel Zig Zag behind her. She dropped down onto the couch and took a quick glance at the TV. There was no sign of a show of any kind, only muted white noise. The couch sagged beside her as Zig Zag sat down. She felt herself sliding towards him and scowled up at him.

"Fatty," she mumbled. She shifted back to her side of the couch and hung onto the arm to stop herself from sliding, but to no avail.

"Did you just call me a fatty?" Zig Zag laughed.

"Well do you see what you're doing? I'm sliding into you because the cushions are-are sinking under your weight!" Drew said and laughed.

"Just give up, you can sit on me," Zig Zag said and pulled her towards himself.

"Drew Cathers?" a woman's voice demanded over everyone else's voices in the rec room. Zig Zag froze and she felt him stiffen. Silence fell, all eyes averting their gazes to her and Zig Zag. Drew stood and smiled at the red headed woman. She looked to be around forty, freckles lightly sprinkled across her nose and forehead. She wore a blue blouse tucked into blue jeans and a pair of brown leather cowboy boots. A tan cowboy hat sat atop her red curls, large, burgundy tinted sunglasses propped up on her nose.

"Yes, ma'am," Drew said.

The woman crooked her index finger and said sternly, "Come with me." The boys' eyes followed her as she strode through the room and out the door. The woman stopped outside the door and turned to her.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked Drew, hand on hip.

"Sorry, but no ma'am," Drew said. The woman carried an air of command and seemed to demand respect, unlike Mr.Sir and Pendanski.

"I'm the Warden, Drew, I run this detention facility," the woman said and removed her sunglasses. Her eyes were cold, and searching. Drew felt vulnerable, as if the woman was bearing into her soul. "And as you may have noticed, you're the only girl in here. Now, I am aware of your extensive criminal record and I'd like to let you know I won't tolerate it here. Also, you won't be treated any different than the boys by Mr.Sir, Dr. Pendanski, or I. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Drew confirmed, nodding.

"Good, and keep up with the 'ma'am'," she said, "It'll keep you in my good books." Drew nodded, restraining a smile, begging to spread across her face. The Warden turned and stalked purposefully in the direction of the cabin.

Author's Note:


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Shut up **FrostedWindows**. You are a flamer whether you want to call it that or not and no body agrees with you except **chickapaladin342**, and she is obsessed with PMS from what I've heard so you can both just shut your traps. I also find it interesting how the only 'flames' I get are from non-writers or people who don't even have an account on fanfiction. I have nothing against non-writers as long as they're respective of other's work and do not go bashing it when they have never tried it themselves. Thanks to all my other reviewers, though. You're all great.

* * *

Chapter 6

Drew let the smile break free as she strolled back into the rec room. The boys, still frozen in place, gawked at her as she walked back over to Zig Zag. She gave them questioning looks. That seemed to snap them out of it slightly, as some of them went back to their activities while others looked away sheepishly. When she flopped back down beside Zig Zag he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong with them?" she inquired.

"You're alive," Zig Zag said simply, returning his attention to the TV.

"I was supposed to come back a bloody corpse in a body bag?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah pretty much, the Warden never calls us unless we're in trouble," he said. "Have you seen the scars on Mr. Sir's face? Looks like he was scratched by a big ass cat? Well the Warden wasn't happy with him when he dragged Caveman into her cabin about a month ago and he came out looking like he'd been scratched by a tiger or something. Same thing happened to a couple of the boys here too. Or we get punishment assignments. Like kitchen duty or two holes a day instead of one or washing her car or something like that.

"Guess I'm just lucky," Drew finally said.

"Lucky! You better believe it!" Zig Zag laughed. After a moment X-Ray came over sand sat down on her other side. The couch evened out and Drew was able to sit on the hump in the couch cushions between the two boys. It wasn't very comfortable but at least she wasn't sitting on top of Zig Zag.

"What'd she want," the boy said. It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

"Now that's rude," Drew scolded dryly. "That could barely even be considered a question."

X-Ray put on his most sarcastic smile and asked, voice dripping with false sweetness, "Would you mind sharing with your tent mate what the Warden wanted you for?"

"Well that wasn't sincere but I'll tell you anyway," Drew said. "She just wanted to tell me that she's not gonna tolerate any bullshit from me and Mom and Mr.Sir and her aren't going to treat me any differently than they treat you guys. Those weren't her _exact_ words but they're close enough."

X-Ray looked at her dumbstruck. "That's it?" he asked, disappointed.

"What? You were hoping she'd punished me? Sorry X, no such luck," Drew retorted just as sweetly. X-Ray growled and stood up. Drew started to slide back into Zig Zag. He stalked off in the direction of the pool table, throwing a scowl over his shoulder at her. She smiled and waved. He let out a yell of frustration and whipped back around. Zig Zag laughing.

"You shouldn't disrespect X like that," he told her. "He'll get you back."

"I know," Drew said. "But I have to do _something_ to entertain myself while I'm here." Zig Zag chuckled and turned his attention back to the TV.

She looked at him quizzically but he didn't see it. She couldn't understand why he was watching pure static.

"Watcha watchin' Zig?" she asked.

"Martha Stewart," he replied without looking at her. "She's doing a Halloween special."

"Zig, its May," Drew stated slowly. "Halloween isn't for another... Five months."

"I know," Zig Zag said, continuing to stare intently at the TV screen. Drew smiled and shook her head. She rose from the couch, shoved her hands in her pockets, and leisurely strolled out of the rec room, unaware of the three boys following her. She was walking past the water spigot when an anonymous hands grasped her forearm and swung her around to face him. She'd never seen any of the three boys before, but she didn't like the sight of them. They were the type of attractive, aggressive, arrogant jocks who knew they could get almost any girl they wanted at the drop of a hat. The one holding her arm smirked down at her.

"Well aren't you a pretty one," he mocked. She smiled up at him.

"How kind of you to say so," she said sarcastically. The three boys laughed while she smiled sweetly.

"So you're in D-Tent, huh?" he asked. Drew nodded.

"And let me guess, you're all in F-Tent," Drew asked innocently.

"Yeah, how did you guess?" he asked. "You must be a smart one too, huh?"

"No, you all just look like jerks," she replied sweetly. "Now, could you please let go of my arm?" His grip tightened and his face creased into a scowl. "Let me go," Drew repeated steadily. His grip tightened even more so she kicked his knee.

He dropped to the ground, taking Drew with him. She fell beside him with a thud. A cloud of dust rose. His grip was still tight on her arm as she felt his fist connect with her ribs. She yelled in pain and punched him in the eye a split second before his friends grabbed her arms and pulled her off of him. They pulled her into a standing position as their friend got to his feet. Drew kicked one of the boys in the back of his knee. His knee gave out and he feel to his knees. She kicked him in the head, He yelled. Her breathing was becoming quicker and more painful as her bruised ribs expanded with each breath she took. She kicked the other boy between his legs and as he doubled over kneed him in the face. He growled and his remaining hand went to his nose now gushing blood. The first boy grabbed Drew from behind as she glanced at the dining hall.

A single boy stood in the doorway and she heard him yell, "Fight!" as he rushed back inside. A fist connected with her stomach and it lurched. She only barely kept her dinner down. She kicked out at the boy who'd punched her. It was the one she'd kicked in the head. She missed him and an open hand slapped her across the face. She swiftly swung her leg backwards and kicked the boy holding her between the legs. he let her go as his hands went to cover his crotch. She punched one of the boys on his left cheek with her right hand and then drove her left fist upwards into his jaw. He fell backwards and she felt hands close around her waist tightly. She was whipped around as the boy lifted her off the ground and squeezed her, trying to limit her air supply. Someone punch her cheek, causing her to bite her tongue. She spat a wad of blood into the dust on the ground and felt the blood immediately refresh itself inside her mouth. Someone appeared in front of her. It was X-Ray.

_Oh great! He's here to help them out! _she thought pessimistically and so was surprised when his fist soared past her head and collided with the other boy's. He yelled and dropped her. She landed in a crouched position and launched herself into the nearest boy's gut. They were thrown backwards, her landing on top of him. She leaped off of him and looked around. Boys were pouring out of the mess hall by now. She saw Armpit and Squid fighting with one of her attackers and Wrench. She turned around in time to duck under the boy's fist. _Who knew he'd get up so fast?_ she thought. She whipped around behind him and kicked his mid-back. He arced his back in pain and swung around to face her. _Now he's pissed,_ Drew thought. He charged at her. At the last moment she jumped out of the way and stuck her foot out in front of him. He tripped and somebody else tackled her. She felt herself fly through the air and land under the boy who'd tackled her. The wind was knocked out of her, her ears were ringing, and her head hurt. She looked up at the boy above her. It was the one who'd called her a whore the day before. He grinned down at her. She smiled and spit a wad of blood in his face, flipping him over and straightening, only to drop a knee into his gut. She turned around and was kicked in the chest. she stumbled backwards and fell over the F-Tenter. She flipped back onto her feet. After so many fights and being knocked onto her back she'd become quite good at it. She felt the water spigot behind her. Her head had narrowly missed it on her way down. She side stepped as the boy ran at her, tripping him. He was sent face first into the water spigot and didn't get up. He was still breathing though, so at least he was alive and just knocked out. A gunshot rang out and she jumped, breathing heavily as she turned to face the Warden. _Uh oh_, was all she thought as the Warden lowered her gun and stalked purposefully towards her. She gave the Warden stare for stare as she came closer.

"Now," the Warden said as she stopped in front of Drew and removed her sunglasses, "I could have sworn, not even half an hour ago I told you I would not tolerate this." Her voice was dangerously calm.

"Yes, ma'am, you did," Drew agreed, raising her hand to wipe her brow. _Blood_, she thought upon seeing the thick red liquid on her hand.

"And you decided to deliberately disobey me?" she asked.

Drew shook her head, trying to regulate her breathing. "No, ma'am," she replied.

"Excuse me?" the Warden said threateningly.

"Ma'am, the F-Tent boys attacked her, three of 'em," one boy interjected. she silently thanked him with a small smile.

"Excuse me?" the Warden now turned to him. He wavered under her gaze but explained.

"She was just walking back from the rec room and Hammer grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go."

"Is this true?" the Warden asked, turning back to Drew. Drew glanced over at the boy identified as Hammer and then back at the Warden before hesitantly nodding.

"Hammer, come over here," the boy stumbled over to her, limping.

"Yes?" he asked he Warden.

"Was there anyone else with him?" the Warden asked the boy who'd stood up for Drew.

"Kancell and Saw," the boy replied. The Warden glanced around and beckoned at another of Drew's original attackers. The boy trudged over to join Hammer. "Where's Saw?" the Warden asked.

"Uh..." Drew said and then pointed to the unconscious boy under the water spigot.

"Well what's he doing there?" the Warden demanded. "Saw! Get your ass up and get over here!" The boy didn't move.

"He's unconscious ma'am," Drew explained. "He, uh, hit his head on the water spigot." The Warden glared at her.

"Pendanski! Get this boy to medical aid!" she yelled over her shoulder. The man nodded and scurried over to Saw. He gently shook him. when the boy didn't wake he called to Mr. Sir to get a stretcher sot hey could carry him to medical aid. The Warden watched the two man roll the boy onto the stretcher and carry him to medical aid and then turned back to Drew, Kancell, and Hammer.

"Now, this is your first day here, Drew, so I'm going to pretend this never happened, but if this ever happens again I will punish you beyond your own reckoning. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.

"Good," she said, "And go to medical aid if you think you have a problem that needs to be taken care of. You have split your head open. Go. She sent a couple people after her, luckily none from D-Tent. She followed Pendanski and Mr.Sir into the small building and took a seat in one of the chairs. The room was separated into a waiting room with a desk, where an Asian woman sat, and five chairs, and then sectioned off into four rooms, containing cots, by white curtains. The boys filed in after her. There were four of them. They filled up the seats and waited. Saw was taken into one of the curtained rooms and the curtains were drawn behind the woman. Drew wiped her head again, she was beginning to feel dizzy and light-headed. Probablyhave a concussion, she thought lazily, resting her head against the wall and closing her eyes. They were quiet while they waited. Ten minutes later the woman reappeared with Pendanski and Mr.Sir. She survey the five of them, hands on hips, before pointing to one of the boys who was holding his shoulder. He followed her into another curtained room.

Drew could hear quiet murmuring and then a pain-filled yell and a sickening crack of a bone being reset. "What'd you do?" the boy demanded.

"You dislocated your shoulder," the woman. "Come to me every day for the next week. Now out." The curtains were whipped back and the boy stalked surly out of the office.

"You, come here," she pointed to Drew. Drew got up drowsily and allowed her self to be led into the room. The woman closed the curtains and turned to face her.

"So what has happened to you?" she asked.

"Warden says I split my head open," Drew slurred, eyes fluttering as she pointed up at her head.

"You've lost a fair amount of blood," the woman said, "Lie down on the cot." Drew obeyed. "Any other injuries? Arms and legs okay?" Drew nodded and rolled over and spit blood onto the floor. He mouth was still filling up. "What'd you do there?" she asked as she wiped the blood up with a piece of paper towel and threw it out.

"Someone hit me and I bit my tongue," Drew replied, "Don't worry, it happens all the time."

"So nothing else bugging you?" the doctor asked, mopping up her brow. Drew winced.

"Well I think my ribs are bruised but thats it," she said.

"Let's see," the woman said and motioned for Drew to lift up her shirt. Drew did so and felt the woman's hands feeling for broken or cracked ribs. "They're bruised but not broken. You'll be fine. Let's just get you fixed up."

Drew walked out of the office medicated. Her forehead was still numb from where the doctor had frozen her head while she stitched it up. She stumbled back to D-Tent, holding her ribs and spitting small amounts of blood onto the ground. She traipsed into the tent and all eyes went to her. She gazed back at the boys and smiled slowly. They all had small cuts and bruises but they were relatively in better condition than her. She shuffled over to her cot and lowered herself tenderly onto it. X-Ray's head appeared over her.

"You okay?" he asked shortly.

"I'll live," Drew laughed and then groaned. It hurt her ribs to laugh.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Squid panicked as X-Ray's head disappeared and Squid's head took his place over her. "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Drew lied.

"First of all, we can see your head," Zig Zag pointed out, "Second of all, you're holding your ribs, third, you're slurring your words." The tent was silent as everyone gazed at Zig Zag with curiosity.

"What?" Zig Zag demanded after a long moment, "I'm not stupid! Now tell us what happened."

"Nothing, split my head open, just the skin but the cut was pretty deep the doctor said, bruised my ribs, bit my tongue when some one punched me," Drew said and spit blood onto the floor. _I hope this doesn't become a nasty habit_, she thought and groaned inwardly. "I'll be fine, I'm just gonna go to sleep now. G'night." She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, not bothering to change her clothes. She felt sleep over take her and went with it, drifting into the never-ending black that welcomed her. Her dreams replayed the fight for her, or at least they did at first.

_She was tackled by a boy and hit the ground hard. The sun was boring into her eyes and blinding her. The heat was unbearable, sweat dripped down her front and back, brow and neck. And then the scene changed. She was in a dark, cold alley way, rain pounding down on her. It took ten second for her clothes to become soaked and heavy. Her hair clumped__ together and stuck to her face and neck. She ducked under a boy's oncoming fist and tackled him to the ground. She grappled with him for long minutes, her hands were around his throat, choking him. Suddenly a blinding pain invaded her left upper arm. She yelled and released the boys throat, rolling to the ground clutching her arm. She rose swiftly and faced the girl on the other side of the boy. She was holding a bloody switch blade. The blood was Drew's. The girl struck out at her again, aiming for her belly. Drew side-stepped her thrust, grabbed her arm and wrenched her arm up behind her back, breaking it. the girl screamed in agony as Drew let her drop to the wet pavement and jumped over her. Her friends surrounded her, fighting the rival gang. She caught sight of Jay fighting with a boy double his size and ran to his side. Jay's foot caught the other boy in the side of the head and he went down hard. She turned to face Jay who's chest was heaving. _

_"You're hurt," he said urgently, motioning towards her arm._

_Drew saw the blood on Jay's sleeve from a long slash up his forearm. "So are you."_

_"I'll be fine," he said. Something behind Jay caught Drew's eye. She thought it was Sandra, one of her friends, until the girl stepped into the light. It was the girl who had cut her! She grinned evilly at Drew and a look of pure horror crossed Drew's features. _

_"Oh my God! Jay! Move!" she screamed, but too late. The girl's knife was already around his neck. Jay glanced at Drew, fear in his eyes. She caught the pleading look in his eyes the moment before the girl's knife was drawn across his throat and she was spattered with blood. Drew stood frozen for what seemed like hours but was only seconds. The girl's figure right in front of her brought her back to reality. Her hand's only flashes she drew her switchblade from her pocket, flicked it open and plunged it into the other girl's stomach and yanked it up ruthlessly, dragging a bloody line from her navel to her ribcage before withdrawing it and watching the girl waver on the spot. _

_"Revenge is sweet," Drew whispered in her ear and then pushed her over. Blood trailed a crimson line down the girl's jaw from the corner of her mouth. Her shirt was dark with blood around the wound Drew had inflicted, as the blood mixed with the rain and a rouge stream slipped away from her, sinking into the crevices on the pavement. She had killed Jay, Drew killed her. She held her arm as she hit the ground, fainting from loss of blood._

"Wake up! Drew! Wake up!" someone whispered loudly over her, shaking her urgently. "Drew, Drew!"

Drew sat straight up, ignoring the person and groping her orange jumpsuit as she ripped the left sleeve off. Her arm wasn't bleeding any more, it hadn't bled for ten months. It was a scar now. A scar that would always be there to remind her of Jay.

"Jay," she whimpered. "Oh god! Its my fault! I should have got her before she got him!" Tears began coursing down her cheeks.

"Drew?" the person whispered. Drew had forgotten he was there so she jumped at the sound of his voice. "Drew?" he repeated. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Drew?" Drew whipped her tears away and glance at the boy sitting beside her on her cot. He was nothing but a shadowy figure.

"Who are you?" she croaked.

"Its Zig Zag," he said. "What's wrong? You were screaming in your sleep. About Jay."

"I'm sorry I woke you up, you can go back to bed, I'll be fine," Drew said with false cheer.

"No, Drew," Zig Zag said. She heard him shifting closer to her and then felt his arms slowly encircle her in a gentle hug, minding her bruised ribs and stitched head. She sat there frozen in place for a long time. Finally she hugged him back and a few tears escaped her eyes. The hug felt so good, after being a cold and untouchable person for so long. "What happened, Drew?" Zig Zag asked slowly, still holding her close.

* * *

Author's Note: I have found that people like to argue with other people besides the author in reviews. Interesting. I don't really care, but interesting all the same. Well there's chapter 6, hope you enjoyed it. And I'm probably leaving for Mexico between Thursday and Saturday for a week and I don't know if I'm gonna update between now and then. Sorry. Please review though. Asta!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I've been back from Mexico for like three weeks but I went on a Tamora Pierce spree and wrote a couple chapters for my TP story but that story isn't getting as many reviews as I would like so I've boycotted it until it gets enough reviews. Plus my last chapter was kinda a cliff hanger and I always hate it when I'm wondering what happened and the author doesn't update for like four months and by that time I've usually forgotten what happened anyways. So here's Chapter 7 for you guys.

* * *

Chapter 7

Zig Zag continued to hold her tightly as she rocked slightly back and forth, silent sobs racking her body. Minutes passed and Drew's tears continued to fall onto Zig Zag's already damp shoulder. He gave her a reassuring squeeze around the shoulders, making soothing sounds and stroking her soft brown hair. He was worried about her, Drew could tell, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling or her shaking body. She hadn't mourned Jay's death properly until then; she'd been too shocked to cry.

"Drew..." Zig Zag trailed off. Drew gripped him tighter; he was the only person she had for the moment. _For the moment_, she reminded herself regrettably. The words echoed inside her mind like a curse set upon her. She managed to reduce her tears to sniffles with difficulty and pulled out of Zig Zag's embrace.

"I'm sorry," Drew whispered, barely audible. "For waking you up and getting your shirt all wet."

"Shh," Zig Zag soothed. "Its okay, I just want to know what's wrong?" She could barely see him in the faint light seeping into the tent from the full moon, but she could sense his worry, feel his distress. She didn't want to worry him any more.

"S-sorry," she hiccuped. "J-just a bad d-dream." She heard, more than saw, him shake his head.

"No, there's more to it than that," he pressed. "Jay isn't just a friend of your's. And whoever Jay is, isn't a girl either. Who is he, Drew? Boyfriend? Tormentor? Rapist?"

"No one!" Drew said viciously, willing herself to believe it as well. "He wasn't anybody. Nor is he or ever will be!" _How dare he pry into my past!_ She thought angrily.

"Drew..." Zig Zag murmured warningly. "Tell me the truth."

"That is the truth!" Drew lied. She felt an underlying emotion of guilt for lying to him but it was over-ridden by her anger. "What makes you think Jay was anyone important? He could have been my fucking gardener, for all you know!"

"People don't wake up crying about their _gardener_," Zig Zag pointed out flatly.

"Drew thought for a moment. Even in her irritable state of rage she knew he had a point. "He was a really good gardener," she said weakly. She was losing and she knew it, unfortunately so did Zig Zag.

"Jay isn't your gardener, Drew," he insisted stubbornly. "Whoever he is, he was close to you and something happened to him or to you."

Drew paused. "You seem to speak from experience," she whispered somberly.

"I've had my fair share of losses," Zig Zag replied.

"I'm sorry," Drew offered consolingly.

"Not your fault," Zig Zag said with a bitter undertone. Silence fell. Long minutes passed. Only Armpit's snores interrupting the quiet.

"Are you going to tell me who Jay is?" he asked softly.

_Was_, Drew corrected silently, sorrowfully. When she didn't move or give any sign of even hearing Zig Zag, the boy rose from her cot. She didn't look up, she didn't have to. She could feel him standing over her, staring down at her searchingly.

"Okay," he said after a seemingly endless stretch of time. "But remember, Drew, I'm here if you change your mind." She felt his presence leave her side and heard him slip back into his cot and toss and turn a few times before settling into a comfortable position. Drew remained sitting, stock-still.

"Why are you being so understanding?" she whispered as a single hot tear burned its way down her cheek.

Time passed in long minutes and Drew finally determined Zig Zag had fallen back asleep. She sighed sadly, cast a look at Zig Zag's turned back, and fell back onto her pillow. Her eyes felt swollen, her eyelids heavy. Her cheeks were sticky from tears and her lips tasted salty. She stared blankly up at the canvas ceiling, slowly giving into sleep.

"Experience," Zig Zag grunted a split second before Drew's eyelids drooped and the darkness engulfed her mind.

* * *

Drew felt hands on her ribs and hip shaking her awake. She inwardly winced at the pain in her ribs and rose reluctantly. She looked at her accidental pain-inflicter: Squid. He grinned boyishly at her.

"Morning time, baby girl!" he said brightly. "As Pendanski would say: 'New day-"

"-new hole," the rest of D Tent finished for him. Drew smiled, despite herself. She drew herself up into a sitting position painfully. She was feeling her bruised ribs today, more than yesterday. Remembering her stitched-up head she tenderly reached a hand up and felt the bandage protecting the stitches. She grimaced and crawled under her cot in search of clean underclothes and a tank top. She threw a tan coloured tank top onto her cot, a purple pair of underwear, blue bra, and green pair of socks soon to follow.

Re-enacting her stunt from the morning before she changed under her sheets and then pulled her tank top on over her bandaged ribs tenderly and then her jumpsuit. She wasn't one to complain but she really couldn't believe she still had to dig. She laced up her boots, dragged a brush through her hair, collected her toothbrush and toothpaste and shuffled out of the tent groggily. She was greeted by Twitch and Armpit. X-Ray was with them but he ignored her.

"Man, I can't believe they still making you dig, dawg," Armpit stated disapprovingly.

"I'm sure I'll survive," Drew said dryly and spit pinkish-coloured toothpaste into the dirt. _Blood_, she figured and grimaced as she brushed over the injured part of her tongue. "Damn," she muttered under her breath.

"Nice colouring in your spit, Drew," someone commented from behind her, "So festive!". She turned around to meet Zig Zag's eyes. She looked away, embarrassed. She didn't like the fact that Zig Zag had seen her cry last night. She never let anyone see her cry.

"Morning, Zig," she mumbled hastily, spat once more and then stalked off quickly, back to the tent. She returned her toothbrush and toothpaste to their rightful places and then jogged out of the tent to catch up with the rest of D Tent, canteen in tow.

"Come and get 'em, boys!" Mr. Sir called as he unlocked the Library and threw the doors open. Drew joined the end of the line and shuffled forward with the boys.

"Open them peepers, Magnet," she heard Mr. Sir say ahead of her. She blinked sleepily and when she re-opened her eyes she was standing in front of the library. The only shovel left was her's. She smiled happily. _Its like X-Ray's shovel with the red tape_, she thought _Except I had red handprints_. She felt Mr.Sir watch her as she bent down to retrieve the shovel. Her ribs protested profusely when she bent in any direction but she wasn't about to let Blue Rodeo know that. She swiped her shovel from the ground quickly and straightened without flinching once.

"Morning, Mr. Sir," she grumbled as she passed him on her way to the table of tortillas. She grabbed one from he stack and jogged to Magnet's side.

"Hi," he yawned. Seeing him yawn made her yawn and started a chain reaction as X Ray and Squid yawned in succession

"Morning, Magnet," Drew replied

"Sleep good?" he questioned lazily.

"Yeah, I slept alright," she lied. "You?"

"Almost didn't wake up," he replied.

"Well you 'almost don't wake up' every morning, man," Zig Zag laughed. Magnet shrugged. Drew smiled tiredly.

Mr. Sir started the truck's engine and revved it to warn the boys he was leaving and then stated out across the barren dessert, Drew and the boys following in the resulting dust cloud. Drew threw her shovel over her shoulder and held it in a relaxed grip while Magnet allowed his shovel to drag along behind himself, clinking and clanking over every stone and raising its own cloud of dust. Halfway to the dig site some of the other boys started yelling at him for, as X Ray put it, 'making too much noise'. Magnet ignored them until X Ray smacked him upside the head. Drew hid her smile as Magnet rubbed the back of his head and glared at X Ray, slinging the shovel over his shoulder.

"Mr. Sir left them at their designated dig site, failing to tell Drew where she was supposed to dig, so she chose a spot between Squid and Magnet and drove her shovel into the dry, cracked earth. The day dragged on slowly as the sun continued to rise in the sky and the heat became its usual, nearly unbearable temperature. The blisters and cuts on Drew's hands reopened and she noticed spots of blood seeping through the gauze wrapped around her palms. Sweat stung the open wounds and dripped into her eyes, down her back and chest. Her ribs burned with every shovel full of dirt she threw out and it got to the point where it hurt to breathe. When the water truck came she pulled herself out of her hole with an agonized hiss and dragged her feet all the way to the back of the line.

_Thank God its Pendanski this time_, she appreciated silently.

"Hello, Drew!" Pendanski greeted her brightly when it came her turn in line. He accepted her canteen and turned on the faucet.

"Hi, Mom," she croaked. Pendanski cast her a worried look.

"Are you feeling alright, Drew?" he inquired, concerned.

She nodded. "Fine," she said as steadily as she could.

"Are you sure?" he continued to press. He shut off the tap and handed her canteen back to her.

"Yes, thanks," Drew said, taking the canteen from his grip. She gave Pendanski a false smile and trudged back to her hole, wincing with every step she took.

She sat down on the side of her hole and took a gulp of water, breathed in deeply a couple times.

"You don't look so good, chica," Magnet observed from his own hole. Squid glanced at her and immediately agreed with Magnet.

"I'll be fine," Drew assured them and, as if to prove her point, capped her canteen and returned to digging. She felt a pair of eyes boring into her and when she glanced to either side of herself she found that the eyes did not belong to Magnet or Squid. She raised her eyes and scanned the dig site and locked eyes with Zig Zag's cloudy blue gaze.

"I'm fine," she mouthed and flashed him tight smile. She watched him sigh and then push his shovel into the dirt with his foot.

The day went on. The water truck came twice more: once for lunch and once for another canteen refill. Each time Drew heaved herself out of her hole with increasing difficulty. She even needed Squid's offered help once. She watched as one by one each of her tent mates spit in their holes and returned to camp. Even Twitch finished before her and he made his way back to camp with a worried glance over his shoulder. When she finally finished her hole she tossed her shovel over the edge and jumped after it. The strain on her ribs intensified and she fell back to the ground with a cry of pain. She tried again with the same result. After a total of four tries she lowered herself to the ground, legs in front of her, and glared up at the sky.

_God damned hole!_ she cursed bitterly,_ Has to be so God damned tall!_ She sighed. She knew it wasn't the hole's height that was stopping her; it was her bruised ribs. _No its not_, she tried to tell herself uselessly. She wrapped her arms around her middle and let out an aggravated, pained growl. _I'm screwed_, she thought and closed her eyes.

"You shouldn't be digging," a voice stated, startling her. Her eyes shot open and she stared up at Zig Zag.

"Shit, Zig, you scared me," she laughed and then instantly regretted it.

"You shouldn't be digging," Zig Zag repeated.

"I'm fine, Zig, just a little tired," Drew explained lazily.

"You lie a lot," Zig Zag said bluntly.

"No," Drew protested carelessly.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Zig Zag sighed angrily. "Fine!" he cried, throwing his arms into the air. Drew grinned.

"I win," she sang.

"Whatever! When are you planning on getting out of that hole?" Zig Zag demanded.

"When I can figure out how," Drew shot back.

"Oh for the love of God!" he exclaimed. "Jesus Christ, Drew!"

"What?" Drew cried, disgruntled.

"You thought no one was out here, yet you still dug yourself into a whole you couldn't get yourself out of?" he yelled.

"One: I didn't know I wouldn't be able to get out of the hole after I finished it," Drew pointed out, "And two: did I really have a choice in the matter? We dig holes here, Zig. This is my third day here and I already know that, better than you do apparently." Drew chuckled but it turned into a groan and then back into a laugh again.

"Why are you laughing?"

"'Cause its funny."

"What's funny?"

"It hurts." She continued to chuckle morbidly, painfully.

"Stop laughing!" Zig Zag ordered.

"I can't," Drew laughed, holding her ribs.

"Come on," Zig Zag said and jumped into the hole. He laced his fingers together, bent his knees slightly, and looked at her.

"What?" Drew asked again.

"What are you? Stoned?" Zig Zag demanded irritably. "Step into my hands. I'm helping you out."

"Its okay, I'll figure out how to get out eventually," Drew said.

"I already have," Zig Zag insisted. "Now, Drew!" He gave her a meaningful glare.

"Fine, fine!" Drew surrendered.

"Ready?" Zig Zag asked.

"Uh huh," Drew said. She stepped into Zig Zag's hands with her right foot and pushed off with her left at the same time Zig Zag pushed her other foot up. She landed in a sitting position, legs dangling over the side of her hole. Zig Zag pushed himself up beside her. Drew sucked in a deep breath and looked at Zig Zag. He had a yellow bruise on his jaw and above his eyebrow from the fight the day before. She frowned.

"Thanks, Zig," she said. "Truth is, I don't think I would have been getting out of that hole without help."

"I _know_ you wouldn't have been getting out of that hole without help," Zig Zag teased with a smile. Drew grinned sheepishly. "Think we've missed dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah," Drew replied indefinitely. The light was becoming orange coloured, rather than white, and the sun was lower in the sky.

"Wanna go mooch something off the kitchen crew?" Zig Zag suggested.

"No way!" Drew said wryly. "I'm afraid that stuff's gonna attack me or something!"

Zig Zag laughed. "We'll get brad or apples or something."

"Okay," Drew agreed. Zig Zag leapt to his feet and offered her his hands. Drew grabbed her shovel from the ground and took an offered hand. Zig Zag pulled her to her feet and picked up his own shovel. They trudged lazily back to camp, shovels slung over their shoulders.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so there's Chapter 7. Hope you all enjoyed it. And I know everyone has Magnet call the girls "chica" but when I was in Mexico I found out that the guys actually do call girls "chica". Gimme 12 reviews and I'll update. Why 12? Because I am listening to track #16 on disc #4. 16-4 equals 12! I found out the equals sign doesn't work on fanfiction. Lol. I know I'm a retard. Lol. Don't need to tell me. But do you really care? Lol. And I am not counting any reviews by FrostedWindows from this point on. Anyways... Please review. Asta!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: First of all I would like to bring to everyone's attention one line in my last chapter: "New day, new hole." I am ashamed to say I accidentally stole that line from **LeMoNsOuR**'s story. I got it mixed up with the movie (which I had watched I think the day before) and thought it was actually from the movie but it wasn't. She has, however, agreed to let me keep it in my story so all credit for that line goes to her. Thanks, **LeMoNsOuR**!

**ArwenEvenstar83** You were the first one to review this chapter. Like an hour after I posted it I think. But it said you reviewed at like 1:54 am or something. Dude, where do you live? Lol.

Well... On with the story!

* * *

Chapter 8

The cacophony of the recorded trumpet over the loud speakers awoke Drew the next morning. She jerked up in her cot with a slurred, "Was happnin'?" and then the reality of where she was returned to her. She groaned and wiped her face with her hands, glancing blurredly around the tent.

Her eyes fell upon a partially clad Armpit searching for something in one of X Ray's crates, while X Ray literally slapped Magnet awake; a very sleepy looking Zig Zag dressed in only a pair of boxers and one of their issued white t-shirts speaking to a similarly dressed Squid; and a still snoozing Twitch. Drew smiled. _Poor kid_, she thought, _He doesn't look much older than twelve or so. I wonder what he's doing here?_ Her pointless musings were interrupted by Squid, who had reappeared in front of her.

"C'mon, baby girl, get outa bed," he said.

"Is that my nickname now?" Drew inquired, desperately wishing she was still asleep.

"Yeah, why not?" X ray interrupted. "Everyone calls you it anyway."

"I resent it," Drew grunted.

"Tough luck," X Ray said, "Baby Girl."

_Dumb jerk_, Drew cursed silently. She threw the blankets off of her legs and carefully retrieved semi-clean clothing from under her bed.

The Library line looked shorter than the line the day before, but it felt like it moved slower. _How does that work?_ Drew wondered. She shrugged it off and swiped her shovel from the rack.

"Oh no you don't!" Pendanski laughed nervously. He hesitantly withdrew the shovel from Drew's grip and replaced it on one of the empty shovel racks.

"What's goin' on , Mom?" Drew inquired.

"You aren't digging today, or for the rest of the week," Pendanski said cheerily.

Drew looked at him quizzically. "Why not?" she demanded.

"Well Ricky, Alan, and Jose," Pendanski started, gesturing to the three boys watching her skeptically, "were concerned about you yesterday, as was I. Mr. Sir and I spoke to the Warden last night and she agreed that you are in no condition to dig."

"So you'll be helping me with some filin' I've got to do," Mr. Sir cut in gruffly. "Its been stocking up for a while." Drew thought back to her brief visit to Mr. Sir's office, for days ago. Her first thought was, _I've only been here four days and I'm already in trouble!_ Her second thought was plain and simple: _Fuck_. Them memories of the overflowing filing cabinets and loosely scattered files was enough to make Drew want to set fire to the building and get rid of the whole thing in one easy motion. Drew sighed.

"Yes, Mr. Sir," she said, resigned.

"And then once you're done helping Mr. Sir you'll be working in the kitchen," Pendanski added as if it were the cherry on top of her favourite sundae.

"Alright," Drew said. _At least its air conditioned_. So drew frittered away her early morning accumulating paper cuts and a bad mood. By the time Mr. Sir came in with her lunch she was only through the files on the desk!

"Don't get anything on those files, girl," Mr. Sir warned and then disappeared once more. The afternoon wore on dully. The only highlight of the day was finding X Ray's file. He'd been sent to Camp Green Lake a little over eight months ago for resisting arrest and stealing a signed CD. It wasn't just any CD, though. It was a Shania Twain CD! The discovery sent Drew into uncontrollable fits of laughter, tears streaming down her face. His sentence was fourteen months. Mr. Sir came to collect her at around four o'clock.

"Most of the boys are back from digging by now," he explained and then added rudely, "So get outa here! I have things to do!" Drew stifled a laugh and quickly strode from his office, hearing the door slam behind her.

Back in D Tent all the boys were back except for Twitch. _He's probably still out digging._ Magnet, Squid and Zig Zag looked like they had only recently returned from the dessert. All three of them were still sweaty and caked in dirt.

"Hey, Baby Girl," Zig Zag greeted her happily when she entered. "Have fun not digging today?"

"Its your fault," Drew retorted. "I would have dug today."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Squid commented.

"So what'd you do today, chica?" Magnet asked curiously.

"Sat in an air conditioned office and shuffled papers," Drew replied sourly.

"Mr. Sir got you doin' paper work, dawg?" Armpit asked. "Man that sucks! I don't think he's done anything in that office since I've been here. And it was a mess then! It can only have gotten worse."

"Uh huh," Drew agreed.

"Find anything interesting?" X Ray asked arrogantly.

Drew smiled at him sweetly. "Actually, X, I did!"

"What you find, dawg?" Armpit questioned.

"X Ray's file," Drew answered.

"Oh no you didn't!" X Ray exclaimed, standing abruptly.

"Oh yes I did!" Drew replied, smirking triumphantly.

"No way!" Magnet laughed. "What'd it say?"

"What's he here for?" Zig Zag asked.

"is he really a dude?" Squid demanded.

"Yo, man, shut up!" X Ray yelled at him as Drew, Armpit, Zig Zag, and Magnet collapsed in laughter. Squid joined them.

"So?" Zig Zag pressed, returning his attention to Drew. "What's he in for?"

Dre glanced at X Ray. He looked angry and... _Embarrassed?_ Drew asked herself. She sighed. As much as she loved to annoy him, she just couldn't humiliate X Ray like that.

"He's been tellin' us him and some dude got in a fight of the other guy's girl," Armpit informed her.

Drew smiled tightly. "His file said 'excessive violence' so I guess he's been telling you guys the truth. Sorry, guys." Disappointed groans were voiced by the surrounding boys and out of the corner of her eye she say X Ray release the breath he'd been holding. She caught his eye and received the slightest nod of thanks. She nodded back.

"Go get clean!" Drew ordered the tree dirty boys. "You all smell!"

"Sorry, Baby Girl, some of us had to dig all day in the hot sun instead of sit in a n air conditioned office," Squid joked. She stuck her tongue out at him as he passed. He grabbed her head and licked up the length of her left cheek.

"Gross, Squid!" Drew cried, scowling and wiping her face. He laughed evilly.

"Can I have a hug?" Zig Zag asked her, grinning. His bare chest was drenched in sweat, dirt clinging to it.

"Nuh uh," Drew said, shaking her head and backing away.

She felt two arms encircle her from behind and wrap around her, minding her ribs.

"Magnet!" she screeched. The other boys laughed. "I _was_ clean!" Magnet laughed and released her. Only so she could be grabbed up by Zig Zag who also hugged her gently. The three of them left, laughing, and Drew was left in the middle of the tent, her t-shirt dirt and wet with the boys' sweat. She growled and stalked over to her cot, stripping her shirt off as she went. Mindful of Armpit's and X Ray's eyes on her she quickly found a clean shirt and pulled it over her head. When she glanced back at the two boys they quickly averted their eyes. She didn't blame them for looking; after all, they hadn't seen a girl in months!

The next day came quickly, almost too quickly for Drew. She stumbled back into Mr.Sir's office to find it in a slightly worse state of disarray than she'd left it in. She scowled and got to work. She found her remaining tent mates files as well as those of the three boys who'd attacked her: Hammer, Saw and Kancell. Armpit was there for vandalism and arson; Squid for robbery; Magnet for stealing a puppy (which sent drew into hysterical laughter)l Twitch for joyriding; Zig Zag for possession and trafficking of marijuana; Hammer for rape and assault; Saw for attempted rape; and Kancell for violation of a restraining order and assault. _Now I know what they meant when the said not everyone's here for harmless crimes_, Drew thought sardonically. She was finished the filing job by the time Mr. Sir came to kick her out of his office. He told her she was to report to the mess hall the next morning instead.

She slugged back to the tent to find all six boys showered and relaxed, even Twitch. _Kid's getting faster_, Drew thought with a smile,_ Or maybe Mr. Sir came to get me later today?_ She mentally shrugged and collected her showering essentials. She strolled out of the tent, Squid in tow. Magnet, Zig Zag, and Squid had seemingly come to a decision that one of them would guard her while she was showering. She never asked them to, they simply followed her out of the tent. Even though Drew was fairly certain he could defend herself against one attacker, she wasn't so sure about two or three, especially if she was unclothed. She was glad to have one of the boys along.

"So how was digging today, Squid?" she asked conversationally.

"Hot, sweaty, hot, dusty, hot," Squid answered.

"Sounds like you had fun," Drew stated sarcastically.

"Did I mention it was hot?" Squid added dryly. Drew laughed.

"Yeah I think you got that in somewhere," she agreed and closed the stall door.

Despite her expectancy of cold water she couldn't help but squeak as the water washed over her, bathing her in its breath-taking, lung-shattering glory.

When she stepped out of the shower stall Squid was standing a couple feet away from the deck, glaring right into the face of Hammer.

_Oh shit!_ Drew though. Both boys turned towards her as the stall door banged shut behind her.

"Get lost, Hammer!" Squid advised threateningly. "She doesn't want anything to do with you."

"Who said I cared whether she wanted me or not?" hammer replied, a maniacal grin on his lips.

"No one should have to," Squid yelled back. "You should just respect it!" Hammer laughed crudely.

"She hasn't earned my respect yet," he hissed.

"Oh, so her kicking your ass the other day wasn't enough?" Squid shot back. "What's she gotta do? Rip out your eyes? Knock some teeth out? Cut off your balls? Oh, wait, you don't got any!" A small crowd had formed around the two, anticipating a fight.

"Hammer's face was turning and interesting shade of red, a vein in his temple pulsed, his eyebrows were knit. He was really angry. "Why you little-"

"God afternoon, boys!" A cheery voice interrupted the confrontation. Drew exhaled the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "What's going on?" Pendanski asked ignorantly.

"Nothing," Drew answered quickly, trotting down the shower deck steps as she saw Squid begin to open his mouth. "I was just showering and Squid was waiting for me," she explained, thinking quickly.

"Oh!" Pendanski said happily. "That's very nice of you, Alan." He strolled off, clueless. As soon as he was out of earshot Squid grabbed her arm roughly.

"Go back to the tent," he growled in her ear.

"You're coming with me," Drew said firmly and wrenched her arm from his grasp.

"I will in an couple minutes," Squid bargained.

"No you won't," Drew said flatly, "You will _now_." She grabbed his forearm and marched him back to D Tent. Squid stomped along behind her like an unappeased spoiled child.

He forcefully ripped the tent flap aside and stormed into the tent, drew following calmly behind him. All eyes were on Squid as he stomped around the tent having a minor tantrum when Drew entered. The only person who averted their attention to Drew was Magnet, who gave her a quizzical look.

"Hammer," she mouthed. He gave her an even more confused look and Drew traipsed past Squid and over to Magnet.

"What's up with Squid?" he asked quietly as soon as she sat down beside him on his cot.

"I came out of the shower and I guess Hammer had been trying to get past Squid to me or said something about me to him. He looked like he was ready to rip Hammer's head off," Drew explained. "I think he would have if Mom hadn't interrupted."

"Did Mom know what was going on?" Magnet asked, wide eyed.

"What do you think?" Drew answered dryly. Magnet grinned boyishly. At that point Squid had reduced his tantrum to the occasional curse or pound of his pillow. _Pillows take so much abuse but still look the same for years_, Drew thought, _I wish I was a pillow. They don't feel pain either._ That was before she remembered when her uncle had incinerated a mattress, box spring, and the better part of two dozen pillows in a huge bonfire two years ago. He been drunk and claimed 'them fuckin' marshmallows are ginormous!'. Of course, it was only then that she noticed the two pillows impaled on the nearby garden rake, flames engulfing them. _Well, maybe not a pillow...

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_

Author's Note: Okay, so there's Chapter 8. I know I only got I think seven reviews but I had it written already. Lets go for six reviews this time. Review please! You know you wanna! Asta!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I know I only got five reviews and I wanted more (I can't remember how many I asked for) but oh well! I got bored! And where are my reviews from **chocol8skittles, miraculasacies**, and **Petrified Park**? Come one! I'm on your Favourites/Alerts lists!

* * *

Chapter 9

Drew reported to the kitchen the next morning where Bill, the bearded, skinny, old cook put her to work preparing lunch meat sandwiches and counting pineapple juice boxes. After lunch was shipped off in Mr. Sir's truck Drew stood over the hot stove stirring the stock pot of green beans, which closely resembled pond scum. She knew from experience that it sure as Hell tasted like it! After scorching her sleeve and Bill accidentally locking her in the large industrial refrigerator for forty minutes he let her leave with a grunted thank you and orders to come back in the morning.

"Hey Baby Girl!" Zig Zag greeted her as she entered the rec room. "What's up? You look cold?"

"Old man locked my in the fridge," she muttered grumpily, earning a laugh from Zig Zag and anyone else who'd heard her.

"Aww!" Zig Zag laughed, throwing his arms open for her. She shuffled over to him, shivering slightly, and let him hug her gently. He rubbed her back and arms in hopes of warming her up through friction. They ended up on on of the couches, Zig Zag watching static and Drew passed out, head resting against Zig Zag's leg.

"Whore pass out after sucking you off?" Kancell jeered rudely.

"No, but I'm sure your's do," Zig Zag replied loftily.

"Yeah, 'cause its just too big for them to handle," Kancell agreed arrogantly.

Zig Zag laughed ironically. "Nah, its 'cause you scare the shit out of them with your pussy." Laughter erupted from the boys around them and Kancell left the rec room with an angry growl.

When Drew arrived in the kitchen the next day, she was surprised to see Carp standing behind the serving counter with a bag of bread and a butter knife. A grin spread across his face when he spotted her.

"Hey, heard you got a nickname now, Baby Girl," he greeted warmly/. Drew replied with a groggy smile and went to receive instructions from Bill. She was told to help Carp and so slid into place beside him with a container of lunch meat and cheese she'd cautiously retrieved from the refrigerator.

"Would you mind getting another tub or margarine?" Carp asked her as she set down the lunch meat and cheese.

Drew shook her head. "Nuh uh, I ain't going back in there again."

"Why not?" Carp asked, smiling.

"Spent forty minutes in there yesterday and do not wish to repeat the experience," Drew explained. Carp laughed.

"Yeah, I thought I heard you telling Zig Zag yesterday," Carp chuckled. "I'll get it."

"You're too good for F Tent," Drew called after him. As soon as he stepped inside the refrigerator Bill scurried by with a trolley of various frozen vegetables and slammed the door shut.

"Oh shit!" Drew exclaimed and flung herself at the door, swinging it open quickly. Capr stood in the door way, a tub of margarine in each hand.

"Knew you wouldn't let me freeze," he joked.

"He would've," Drew pointed out, jerking her head in the direction of Bill who was currently pounding a bag of what looked to be radishes with a hammer. Carp choked back a laugh.

"So why are you here and not out digging?" Drew asked Carp as she retrieved a butter knife from the drawer.

"Well when you got in that fight with F Tent I kinda helped out D Tent and yesterday Mom caught the rest of my tent being 'scornful and extremely violent' and he didn't think it was a very good environment for me to be corrected," Carp explained. Drew began to notice scattered scratches and bruises on Carp's face, neck, arms, and hands.

"Ouch," Drew said, spying a large purple bruise on Carp's left bicep. "But that still doesn't solve the problem. They can still get you during free time," Drew pointed out.

"I know," Carp agreed. "And Mom figured it out too. So I might be moving to D Tent."

"What?" Drew exclaimed.

"Yeah," Carp confirmed. "I'm just here while Mom talks to the Warden and makes the arrangements. I don't know why he didn't just send me out to dig with D Tent, but I'm glad he didn't. This beats digging any day!"

"So you're coming to D Tent," Drew said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm coming to D Tent," Squid repeated, grinning.

The next day Pendanski came in to seek Carp in the kitchen.

"Carp?" Drew called. There was no answer. "Uh oh," Drew murmured. She whipped open the refrigerator door and yelled Carp's name again.

"Yeah?" he replied from behind the door. Drew slammed the door and stared at the boy. He stood grinning innocently at Drew, a loaf of bread in each hand and one tucked under his arm.

"Mom's here to see you!" Drew announced happily as she took the loaves of bread from him. Carp smiled and took off to sit at A Tent's table with Pendanski. Drew continued to stir the pot of dog vomit-looking kidney beans, straining her ears to listen in on their conversation, but to no avail. She sighed and resigned herself to the task at hand. After almost ten minutes Drew saw Pendanski rise from the table and leave the mess hall and Carp appeared at her side, grinning like an idiot.

"Well?" Drew asked.

"I'm moving in tomorrow," he told her proudly. "I'm supposed to pack all of my stuff tonight, though, so tomorrow will be easy."

Drew grinned and stuck her hand out for a hand shake. "Welcome to D Tent." Carp ignored her hand and hugged her, only mildly irritating her healing ribs. Drew tensed. She'd only been hugged twice in the last year or two, both times by Zig Zag. She wasn't accustomed to this degree of affection. Thankfully the hug was brief and Carp didn't notice her discomfort

"I'm coming to D Tent, I'm coming to D Tent," Carp sang over and over, bouncing around the kitchen area. Drew chuckled as she caught sight of Bill eying Carp suspiciously.

The day proceeding Pendanski's good news and after being released from kitchen duty early, Drew helped Carp move into D Tent while the other boys were still out digging. He took the last remaining cot in the tent, across from Zig Zag and beside Twitch. She reluctantly agreed to make his bed for him while he unpacked his minimal belongings into the milk crates. X Ray and Armpit traipsed in while Drew was encasing Carp's pillow.

"Ain't that cute," X Ray taunted. "Baby Girl's making Carp's bed for him." Even after Drew had refrained from sentencing X ray to, most likely, the biggest humiliation of his life he continued to taunt, tease, or completely ignore her, depending on the situation.

"Shut up, X," Drew threw at him tiredly.

"I bugged her until she did it," Carp added, grinning. "I could have made her bed and mine in the time it took me to convince her." X ray scowled surily.

Armpit guffawed loudly, fully appreciating X Ray's disgruntled demeanor.

"What's wrong, X?" Drew teased in a baby voice. "You want your bed made too?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice!" X Ray decided grumpily.

"Do it yourself, shit head," Drew shot back.

Armpit was rolling on the ground in stitches. He pounded the ground with his fists and feet and continued to laugh hysterically. Drew, X ray, and Carp simply looked on with raised eyebrows.

"It wasn't even that funny," Drew commented to the two calm boys after thirty seconds of Armpits unrelenting laughter.

Carp adjusted nicely to life in D Tent. Since he was already friends with most of the boys he was accepted with open arms; it was almost as if he'd always been a D Tenter. _Well he's more of a D Tenter than an F Tenter_, Drew found herself thinking after a particularly nasty encounter between Carp and the rest of F Tent.

The rest of Drew's kitchen week went by and she returned to digging, ribs almost completely healed. Two more weeks went by with only a few minor confrontations between D Tent and F Tent. Drew and X ray continued to mercilessly annoy one another to the point of near madness and Drew was tempted to reveal X Ray's secret obsession with Shania Twain on more than one occasion. Then one day nearly three weeks into her sentence she received a letter from her older half-sister, Sora.

_Hey Little Sister,_

_Heard you got yourself kicked out of another camp, huh? What girl did something this time? Whatever it is I'm sure she deserved it but I wish you'd stop hurting people badly enough to extend your sentence! So far you'll be lucky to get out before your eighteenth birthday. You are soooo lucky you're smart and can just breeze your way through the rest of highschool._

_So tell me, what type of girls are at this camp? I've never heard of it. All I know is that its called Camp Green Lake and is in Texas somewhere. And in case you were wondering, yes, I did gather that from the mailing address! Don't make fun of me, Drew!_

_Oh! I heard a blond joke from Riley the other day. He says he made it up himself but I don't believe him; he's not smart enough. What do you call an intelligent blond? An endangered species! I cried I laughed so hard, but that might have had something to do with the beer... Riley and Beck (new boyfriend) looked at me like I was crazy but I don't care. They were drunk too!_

_Dad's doing okay; he's the same as usual. He's on a business trip right now, actually. Something about French toast and Hawaii. I don't know! He told me to send his love, though. He was, as usual, too busy to write a letter of his own. I don't see why he doesn't just write you something while he's on a plane?_

_Well I'm leaving soon. I'm going clubbing with Julia and Carrie. You know the drill; send me a list of everything you need and I'll send them along. I don't know how long it will take, though._

_Love,_

_Sora XOXO_

"Who's that from?" Squid asked curiously, peeking over her shoulder.

"My half-sister," Drew answered, handing him the letter.

"She hot?" Squid inquired. Drew snorted.

"She's twenty-four," Drew replied.

"Damn," Squid sighed dramatically. "Who're Julie and Carrie?"

"Her friends, twenty-three and twenty-five," Drew answered.

"Aww! Come on!" Squid groaned. Drew smiled roguishly. "How's she your half-sister?" Squid continued.

"She's one of the kids from my dad's first marriage. Our dad and her mom got a divorce when she was three or something," explained Drew. Squid nodded understandingly and continued reading the letter while Drew searched under her bed for a working pen and her notepad. Squid suddenly began laughing, startling Drew and she banged her head on a bar under her cot.

"What is so funny?" she demanded angrily, rubbing her head.

"She thinks you're at another girls' camp," Squid snickered. Thirty seconds passed and he added, "And the blond joke's pretty funny too." Drew scowled at him, withdrawing a lime green pen from a box of batteries. She crawled onto her cot and pulled her notepad into her lap.

_Hi Sora,_

_First of all, I'm not at a girls' camp. In fact I am at Camp Green Lake: Boys Correctional Camp. Yep, boys. The only women I've seen while I've been here are the Warden (who's a bitch), the doctor, and the faint outline of who I believe to be Posh Spice on the busted TV two days ago._

_The guys in my tent are mostly nice. They all have nicknames and I got one too: Baby Girl. I don't know why they call me that but they do and I have learned to accept it. X Ray is a jerk and has nearly driven me insane. I've returned the favour, of course. Twitch is really quiet. And he twitches. He doesn't look much older than twelve. Armpit is big and smelly, but really nice and friendly. Zig Zag is undoubtedly my best friend here and, well, to put it short he's crazy. Magnet is cool, too, and can always make us laugh. He's as bad as I am about waking up in the morning, too! Carp just moved in two weeks ago. He's a 'sweetie' as you'd say. You'd like him. He was in F Tent before but he was too good for F Tent. Actually it was cause they were beating him up. Squid is currently reading your letter. He asked if you, Julie, and Carrie were hot and he really liked Riley's joke. He also thought it was very funny that you thought I was at another girls' camp. _

_On my second or third day here I got into a fight with a couple bastards from F Tent and bruised my ribs, bit my tongue, and split my head open. And now for my infamous quote: You should have seen the other guy. I know you saw that coming, but still. I don't quite rememebr the whole thing but I _do_ remember knocking a guy out on a water spigot!_

_I don't think you'll have to worry about my sentence being extended here. There's fights weekly and broken bones/bad injuries monthly. I think the Warden expects bad behavior. _

_Did I mention we dig holes here as punishment? Five feet high, five feet in diameter. It bites. And there's dust storms and whirlwinds and its over a hundred degrees nearly every day. I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm not. I'm simply giving you the details of the hole I've dug myself into. Excuse the pun._

_I don't think I told you about our counselor. The dude's a complete quack! He walks around with white sunscreen on his nose and his socks pulled up to his knees. When I got here he had a big purple bruise on one side of his face. It looked like someone hit him with the flat side of a toaster! He's always happy, too! And the most clueless man I've ever met. In a nut shell: he's a whack job._

_So is the camp cook. I was on kitchen duty when I bruised my ribs and the old man locked me in the fridge, pounded the shit out of a bag of radishes with a hammer, nearly set the cooking area on fire, and almost impaled Carp on a bread knife! I think I've written enough. I doubt you had the patience to even read the whole thing so just send me these things, please:_

Drew paused, pen hovering over the paper.

"Anyone in here need anything, do you think, Squid?" Drew asked him.

"An air conditioner," Squid remarked dryly.

Drew chuckled. "No, really, what do you want?"

"Uh... The latest issue of Playboy," he said. Drew got up from her cot, strode over to him and whacked him with her notepad.

"Ow," Squid whined half-heartedly. "Um... Any type of food, candy, chocolate, whatever is much appreciated by us all. And maybe some Frebreeze," he added, glancing pointedly at Armpit's cot. Drew laughed and returned to her cot, placing the pen back to paper.

_A fluffy pillow_

_Candy, yummy food, or chocolate. The food here tastes like shit._

_An air freshening spray of some sort_

_More pens. All mine are dead._

_A slinky. No dirty joke slinkies, Sora!_

_Love, _

_Drew_

_P.S. Tell everyone I said hi!_

Drew folded her letter, shoved it into an envelope, messily wrote her home address on it, and traipsed over to the Rec Room to mail it. She lurched through the door, expecting the customary rude remark from Hammer or another F Tent boy, but was instead greeted by a cheery Pendanski.

"Why hello, Drew!" he said, grinning.

"Hi, Mom," Drew replied loftily.

"And how has your day been?" he asked.

"Fine," Drew said and shoved her letter into the mail box.

"Well that's good!" Pendanski exclaimed and strolled out the door. Drew caught Twitch's eye and rolled her own. Twitch grinned. She made her way over to the couch and flopped down between Zig Zag and the recently arrived Squid sitting in front of the TV.

"I'm tellin' you, man," Squid was arguing. "The TV is _broken_."

"Nah, man," Zig Zag protested. "You can clearly see Jessica Simpson."

"Where?" Squid challenged.

"Right there," Zig Zag insisted, pointing. Squid slapped his hand down.

"How come you're the only one who can see her?" Squid demanded.

"Maybe he has a very vivid imagination," Drew interjected.

"You're encouraging him," Squid laughed, "Why are you encouraging him?"

"I'm not encouraging him," Drew demurred. "I'm just saying..." _Talking's useless_, Drew thought as her voice was lost beneath Squid's louder one. The two boys continued to argue for another five minutes before Magnet managed to draw Squid away with the proposition of a game of pool.

After he was gone Zig Zag turned to Drew. "You can see her, right? She's there dancing in the Mrs. Clause suit."

"Yea," Drew replied, staring hard at the static.

"You're lying again!" Zig Zag accused. "I told you you lie too much!"

"I'm not lying," Drew retorted. "I see her right there, in the suit thing." Zig Zag glanced at the broken TV.

"She's not in the Mrs. Clause suit anymore," he told her. "See? You're lying!"

"She was in the suit a second ago!" Drew babbled. _This is ridiculous! _Drew thought.

Zig Zag pointed an accusing finger at her. "Stop lying to me, Drew," he ordered and returned his eyes to the TV screen. Drew mocked him while his head was turned, making a boy from B Tent snicker. Zig Zag noticed. Drew quickly crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight ahead.

"What were you doing?" he demanded.

"Huh?" Drew asked stupidly. "I- I wasn't doing anything."

"Yes you were!"

"No!"

"Yeah!"

"No!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't you get the feeling we've had this conversation before?" Drew asked randomly.

"Yeah," Zig Zag agreed, nodding. He began staring off into space. After a minute Drew snapped him out of it.

"Watch Jessica, Zig Zag," she said.

"Its Ashley now," Zig Zag muttered, returning his attention to the TV.

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Author's Note: There's Chapter 9 for you! Hope you enjoyed. And **xoxwildchickxox** I don't know what you mean by "**CC Lartson** is a fake." Please clarify? Thanks! And sorry about the blond joke. I couldn't help myself. Please review! Asta!


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hi again! Loved my four reviews. Thank you :D.

**miraculasacies** Thanks for the Ashlee Simpson thing. Lol. I don't listen to her so I didn't know. I fixed it though!

**ArwenEvenstar83** Lol. I know. But Drew just wanted to get Zig Zag off her back about being a liar and really, how could you not love Zig Zag? Lol. And thanks for being my faithful first reviewer once again!

Here's Chapter 10!

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Chapter 10

A week passed and Drew was sitting in the rec room between Zig Zag and Magnet having another argument with X Ray. "Look, X, I don't know where you're talking about! I haven't seen your shovel and I never touched it!" She had, in fact, stolen it from the Library two nights earlier when Mr. Sir had carelessly failed to lock it. It was currently stashed under the rec room deck, somewhere X Ray would never think to look.

"I know it was you, Baby Girl!" he stated firmly, unwavering in his accusation.

"No it wasn't!" Dre rebutted and yelled over to Squid, "Squid! Have I ever touched X Ray's shovel?"

"nope!" Squid shouted back as he shot the three ball into a pocket on the pool table. He had actually helped her hide it.

"Fuck's sake!" X Ray yelled, kicking the corner of the couch and crying out in pain. "Shit! Fuck that hurt!"

"Watch your language, Rex!" Pendanski scolded. He was waltzing in the doorway with a taped and wrapped cardboard box and a handful of letters.

"But she-" X Ray began.

"Now, now, Rex," Pendanski chided. "Don't blame Drew for your stubbed toe. She didn't kick your foot into the couch."

"How do you know that?" X ray asked defiantly. "You just walked in!"

"Jose, did Drew kick Rex's foot into the couch?" Pendanski questioned Magnet, who grinned broadly.

"No, sir," he confirmed in his Hispanic accent.

"See, Rex?" Pendanski said before flipping through the letters in his hand.

"Harvey!" he called. "You have a letter!" A C tent boy slunk over to Pendanski to receive his mail. Pendanski continued to cal names and the stack of letters became smaller and smaller until the only thing he had left was the box.

"Drew, this is for you," he told her and walked out of the rec room, leaving the box by Armpit. The large boy picked it up easily and brought it over to Drew, placing it at her feet.

"Yo, man, what d'you think you're doing?" X Ray demanded angrily.

"Nothing, dawg," Armpit defended himself. "I was just bringing her the box."

"Thanks, Armpit!" Drew said appreciatively while X Ray glared at the bigger boy.

"What's in it?" Zig Zag asked cautiously.

"Let's take it back to the tent and we'll see," Drew said, rising from the couch and picking up the box. T wasn't as heavy as she'd expected, but not light either. She led the way back to D Tent, the boys following eagerly behind her. They probably rarely got mail.

"Open it!" Squid chanted as soon as Drew set it down on the tent's floor. "Open it!"

Drew laughed and began picking at the tape with her fingernails. As soon as it was open the eight D Tenters looked into it and then the seven boys dove at it. Drew laughed as she found herself squished beneath Carp.

"The pillow's mine, don't eat everything, and someone give me the letter!" Drew yelled over the turmoil. Someone dropped a pink envelope into Drew's lap. _Yep, definitely Sora_ Drew confirmed, snatched the letter, and pushed her was out of the group of scrambling boys and over to her cot.

She tore it open, unfolded the powder blue paper, and read:

_Hey Drew,_

_I can't believe you're at an all boys camp! What happened? They run out of girls camps to send you to? You know what? I don't wanna know..._

_Cute nickname you got, though. Any hotties there? Zig Zag sounds a bit odd and so does your counselor. All I could think of when I read his name was my house key jumping up and pole dancing on the pencil beside it!_

_I'm not even going to ask about the fight you already got into. It would be a waste of my valuable time. Digging holes doesn't sound like much fun, though._

_I sent the things you asked for and a couple other things. The shoe box has everything you need to make a scrap book, I want to see it when you get home!_

_Love, _

_Sora XOXO_

_P.S. Don't let the boys open the small, square, wrapped and duct taped package._

"What's this?" she heard Carp ask the other boys. He was holding up a small, square, duct-taped package in his hand.

"Uh oh," Drew muttered to herself.

"I dunno," Zig Zag said. "Open it." Drew leaped off her cot and grabbed for the package. Carp moved it out of her reach a smile creeping across his face slowly.

"What's this?" he teased. "Something Baby Girl doesn't want us to see? What is it?"

"I don't know, that's the problem," Drew replied truthfully, making another grab for it.

"Too slow," Carp taunted. After four more tries Drew finally succeeded in recovering it but was immediately tackled to the ground by Magnet and then jumped on by Carp, Zig Zag, and Squid. She was on the bottom of a very heavy doggy pile and was _not_ happy about it.

"Ow," Drew moaned. She felt them shifting on top of her and tried to wriggle out from under them. It didn't work as Magnet grabbed her arms. "Get off! You all look like homos!" It was a lie; she couldn't even see them from her vantage point facing the floor. She just wanted the five hundred plus pounds off of her. The lie, none the less, worked as the three boys on top scrambled off of her, leaving Magnet to hold her down himself.

"Hey, Pit, where's that camera you found?" Carp laughed. Drew scowled at him and Armpit handed him the camera. Magnet allowed her enough movement to prop her chin up on on of her hands, the other one still clutched the package tightly. Ca4rp pointed the camera at Magnet and Drew. Drew stuck her tongue out at him and the flash blinded her. She blinked repeatedly, attempting to banish the annoying, bright white square from her sight. She was so preoccupied she didn't notice Squid standing beside her until the box was pried from her fingers.

"No, Squid!" Drew screamed. "Give it back! I don't know what's in it and my _sister_ sent it! Knowing her its probably a collapsible vibrator!"

"Oh?" Squid laughed. "I'll give it back if you let me watch."

"Fine!" Drew agreed.

"Really?" Squid asked, completely taken by surprise.

"No, I'm not going to use it you retard!" Drew snapped and struggled underneath Magnet.

"Ah ah ah!" Magnet scolded teasingly. "Bad chica!" and slapped her lightly on the forehead, but hard enough to make a satisfying _smack_ sound. The boys laughed.

"Magnet!" Squid groaned. "Give it back, Squid!" she yelled, returning to her current problem.

"No, I wanna see what it is," he refused, picking at the duct tape with a thumb nail.

"No, really, Squid," Drew pleaded. "I would really appreciate it if you would just give me that back!" She stressed the last four words. Squid's response was a wicked grin as he stripped at piece of tape off and let it fall to the floor. Drew resumed her screaming and struggling, adding in he odd curse, as Carp snapped two more pictures.

"Carp! Stop it!" Drew's arm shot out at his ankle to yank him down beside her but he side stepped her, Drew's hand barely missing his foot.

"Baby Girl's vicious today!" Carp laughed. By that point Magnet was struggling to keep her pinned under him and Squid was close to completely unwrapping the box. She felt bodies shifting over her and suddenly her arms were pinned to her sides and the weight on top of her had increased considerably. She was completely retrained and helpless.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Baby Girl," Zig Zag's voice said above her head. She could see a lock of his blond hair out of the corner of her eye. "You wouldn't want us dead, now would you?"

"At the moment, yeah, I do!" Drew shot back irritably. She was nervous about what Sora may have put in that box. "Got off of me Zig Zag!"

"Actually I think I kinda like it here," Zig Zag told her smugly. "Maybe after we see what's int hat box." Drew groaned and relaxed under him, accepting defeat. Carp snapped a fourth picture and Drew watched Squid peel off the last layer of tape and rip off the brown paper. The tent fell silent and Drew's eyes widened in horror as the boys burst out laughing, even Twitch.

"Shit!" Drew screeched and squirmed uselessly under Zig Zag. "What the fuck? What the fuck?" She stared in horror at the box of condoms in Squid's hand. "Lemme up, Zig! Fuck!"

"Drew!" Pendanski's voice reprimanded from just outside the tent. Everyone froze.

"Put them somewhere!" Drew hissed at Squid, who looked around the tent wildly before tossing them haphazardly behind himself. They landed on the far side of Carp's cot in the back corner of the tent. Not a moment after Pendanski stalked into the tent.

"Watch you lang-" he began and then stopped abruptly as he spotted Zig Zag lying on top of her, pinning her arms to her sides. _Well this is a very compromising situation_, Drew thought dryly. The look on Pendanski's face was priceless and Drew almost laughed aloud when Carp raised the camera to his eye and snapped a picture. The bright flash seemed to snap Pendanski back to reality.

"Ricky! What are you _doing_ on top of Drew?" he demanded.

"Well we were uh... Well you see... Um..." Zig Zag stuttered, unmoving.

"We were just uh...wrestling," Drew supplied. "Zig Zag won, as you can see."

Pendanski seemed to consider the explanation for a moment but seemed to accept it. "But that's still no excuse for your language, Drew." He was pointing a reprimanding finger at her.

_How dense can you get?_ Drew wondered. "Sorry, Mom, won't happen again," she promised.

"Well alright," Pendanski said warily and then added, "And get off of Drew, Ricky!" Mom waited for Zig Zag and Drew to stand up, side by side, before turning on his heel and strolling back outside.

All seven boys and Drew whipped around as son as he was out of sight and charged at Carp's cot. Drew was the first to reach it, diving over it and knocking it onto it's side accidentally. She didn't have any time to breathe, though, before she was hauled to her feet by Zig Zag and dragged out of the fray and away from the condoms, narrowly missing her grab at them.

"Zig Zag," Drew whined. "Put me down."

"No, I don't think I will," Zig Zag laughed and hauled her over his shoulder.

"Zig Zag!" Drew screamed.

He ignored her. "Free spanks!" he called.

"No, Zig Zag!" she yelled a split second before one of the boys slapped her bottom. "Ow!" she protested. Carp appeared in front of her face, grinning.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he teased. She scowled at him and he laughed and blew her a kiss. She lunged at him over Zig Zag's shoulder but Zig Zag had a good hold on her and Carp skipped out of her reach. She beat on Zig Zag's muscular back to no avail as the other boys took turns spanking her with the exception of Twitch, who'd retreated to his cot and watched on with quiet amusement. Drew's anger soon turned from anger into pain-induced laughter as she watched Twitch watch her and the other boys.

Zig Zag gave her one last slap and she half-laughed, half-screamed, "Ouch!" He let her down and stood in front of her grinning.

"I hate you!" Drew proclaimed, laughing.

"That's okay, I can live with that," he decided and kissed her forehead before bounding away to his cot. Drew stood frozen in place, Zig Zag's kiss, even if it was only on her forehead, had unsettled her. Drew didn't like being touched; she wasn't used to it. _I guess I'm gonna have to get used to it_, she thought reluctantly. She watched Zig Zag lie down on his cot, grinning, and be bombarded by condoms. There wasn't much she could do about the condoms now. There wasn't a chance in Hell Drew was going to even attempt to take them back from the boys, who seemed to have divided them up amongst themselves.

Drew smiled as an unwrapped condom hi Zig Zag in the mouth and he jerked away from it yelling, "Dude, that was lubricated!" The boys erupted in laughter around her. Squid caught Drew's eye and the smile slowly faded from her face. There was Jay again; or at least it looked like him. Drew knew it was Squid, and as much as she enjoyed his friendship, she found a part of her wishing he really was Jay.

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Author's Note: So there's Chapter 10. Sorry about the kinda angsty ending. My day took a turn for the worse when I was finishing writing this. And I know the condom thing is kinda over done but I just had to have her sister send her something funny. Review please! Asta!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Hello again! Here's Chapter 11 for you. It picks up where i left off last chapter basically. Angsty at the beginning.

**ArwenEvenstar83** You were first again! You never cease to amaze me. Lol.

**loudgirlkatie** Lol. Nice! Condom fight. Lol. I never knew those actually happened. Lmao.

**CandyGurl113** Glad you enjoyed it!

**crzypoetryriter** Thank you very much! You are very encouraging :D

* * *

Chapter 11

That night when the lights turned off and all the boys were in their beds, fast sleep, Drew tossed and turned, willing sleep to overtake her. It finally did, the blackness enfolding her, but it wasn't peaceful. Drew dreamt.

_Drew watched her thirteen year old self from the vantage point of someone else. She watched the blood drip down her foot, a small, crimson puddle forming beneath it from the broken heart carved into her right ankle. She hadn't felt it. Her emotions had flown out of her with the blood pooling on the bathroom's white tile floor. A similar pool spread beneath her left foot, only the Chinese symbol for death was carved into that ankle. Blood streamed down her left forearm, as well, from small incisions made in her skin. _

_She'd inhaled the sweet smell of her own blood, a symbol of her hate, her future retribution, her pain. She'd stared at the bathroom door wide-eyed, emotionless, as if in a trance, slowly humming an eerie tune, her eyes a blue like shattered ice. They hadn't been that colour since that day. _

_Someone was pounding on the other side of the door, yelling. And then finally the door jam gave way and he burst in the door. Jay stood in the door frame, breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face Drew had stared at him, not really seeing him._

_"Don't, Drew, please," He'd sobbed, encircling her in his arms, His tears had wet her shoulder and her blood had wet his t-shirt. "Don't do this. He's not worth it. We love you, Drew. Me, dad, Riley, Sora, Connor, Sierra, even the dog loves you, Drew! None of us want you gone. Please, Drew, please." Drew watched him squeeze her former self tightly and then everything began to fade as she saw her thirteen year old self hug Jay back and begin sobbing into his shoulder. _

Drew shot up in bed, knocking heads with Zig Zag who had been hunched over her. She didn't notice the instant headache or the tears streaming unbidden down her cheeks. She forcefully shoved Zig Zag away as she clawed at the blanket around her feet. She felt her ankles burning as if they'd been freshly cut. She got her feet free and ripped her socks off her feet, hiking her pant legs up and staring down at the faint scars etched into her ankles: a broken heart and the Chinese symbol for death. She glanced at her arm, the skin unblemished. Those scars had long since faded.

"Drew, what's wrong?" Zig Zag asked, using her real name for the first time in weeks. She glanced up at him choking back a fresh wave of tears and, ignoring him, bolted from the tent. She didn't know where she was going until she found herself in the rec room sitting on the couch she usually shared with Zig Zag. She drew her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees, her tears quickly soaking the knees of her pajama pants. She felt Zig Zag sink down beside her.

_This is happening too much_, Drew thought. _The dreams... I'd forgotten about the cutting until that dream_. She could hear Zig Zag whispering her name rover and over beside her but she didn't answer.

"Oh God," Drew said to herself, running her hands through her hair. "Oh God, Jay! I'm going crazy!" She moved suddenly, bringing her feet up onto the couch with her and stared at the broken heart. "Oh God," she repeated, wiping her hands over her face, wishing it would all disappear, wishing it had never happened.

"Drew," Zig Zag said again. Drew glanced at him and then buried her head in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his middle. She felt his arms around her back and felt them close around her. She sighed; she'd needed a hug. Her tears had stopped when she'd begun talking to herself. She was just content to hug Zig Zag, who had now been there for her twice.

_Maybe he's here for more than just the moment_ she found herself thinking.

"I'm sorry for waking you up again," Drew said apologetically into his t-shirt.

"Its okay, what's wrong?" Zig Zag soothed. He stroked her hair and Drew relaxed; she liked having her hair played with. "And why do you keep looking at your ankles?" As hard as he tried to cover it up, Drew heard the smile in his voice. Drew choked out a watery laugh.

"I'm not going to lie to you this time," she told him honestly. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked into his blue eyes. He was worried, confused. She pulled away from him and moved her ankle into the moonlight.

"Do you see it?" she asked pointing at the broken heart. "Right there."

"The heart?" Zig Zag asked, touching the scar. "Its broken," He added as an additional observation. Drew nodded and turned so that her right ankle was in the moonlight.

"And this one?" Drew asked, pointing at the small silver scar.

"A Chinese symbol," Zig Zag mused. "I don't know what it means, though. Love?"

"Death," Drew corrected darkly.

Zig Zag glanced up at her. His eye were dark blue, concern and curiosity buried within. "How'd they get there?"

"I carved them there," Drew answered softly.

"You're a cutter," Zig Zag stated flatly.

"No," Drew said. "I only did it once, two years ago." She hung her head.

"Why?" Zig Zag asked. He sounded like he was afraid to ask.

"Kris Kempton," Drew replied heavily. "He was my boyfriend when I was thirteen and he... cheated on me, spread rumors about what I did with him, and tried to rape my friend but she never told anyone except me and she made me promise not to tell anyone. I wanted him dead but I cut myself first. Looking back it wasn't worth it."

"Bastard," Zig Zag muttered under his breath.

Drew shrugged and gave Zig Zag a sad smile. "Doesn't matter," she said indifferently.

"Of course it does," he said and wrapped his arms around her again. Drew let him; she found she felt safe. "No one deserves to be treated like that," Zig Zag whispered in her ear. Drew felt an involuntary shudder course through her body and she closed her eyes, relaxing in his grip. They sat in the deserted rec room for long minutes before Drew tilted her head back and looked up at Zig Zag. He was already looking down at her.

"Thanks, Zig Zag," Drew said appreciatively.

Zig Zag continued to look down at her for a moment longer and then said, "Its alright. I'm always here if you need me." He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment longer than then needed to, and squeezed her tightly. Drew didn't flinch. She felt comfortably with Zig Zag and felt she could trust him, even if she had only known him for a month.

"We better be getting back to the tent, Baby Girl." he said after a comfortable silent minute. Drew smiled at the sound of her nickname.

"I guess," she said. She began to rise but then paused and glanced down at Zig Zag. "You won't tell the other guys about me flipping out and breaking down...twice, right?"

Zig Zag smiled reassuringly at her. "'Course not."

"Thanks," Drew said and smiled. Zig Zag nodded and took her arm, led her out of the rec room, and back to the tent. Drew resettled herself in her bed and fell asleep promptly after her head hit her new fluffy pillow. Time passed quickly after that night. She slept dreamlessly and deeply, only waking up when Squid shook her awake in the mornings or on the rare occasion that the recorded trumpet awoke her. She wrote to Sora complaining about the condoms which Sora replied to with a second box of condoms. Carp, Magnet, and Squid, following Zig Zag's lead, had taken to hugging her or kissing her forehead. Zig Zag had even gone as far as to kiss her quickly on the mouth one day when she'd been talking to Carp. He'd quickly leaned over the back of the couch and kissed her. She'd squealed, surprised, and thrown a boot at him. Carp and the other boys in the rec room had been thrown into hysterics and several of them laughed until they felt they would throw up. Hammer, Saw, and Kancell had given up their daily attempts at antagonizing Drew after the first two months and after Drew had nearly castrated Hammer, broken Saw's nose, and knocked out one of Kancell's teeth, not to mention what the rest of D Tent had done to them. Drew got faster at digging and was usually finished at around the same time as Carp, who normally finished a half hour after Magnet, Zig Zag, and Squid.

Almost three months after her last dream Pendanski marched into the rec room followed by the guard off the bus and one of the camp staff who were carrying a slightly larger, newer TV than the broken one only Zig Zag could watch.

Amongst the excited murmurs rising from the boys she heard X Ray ask, "What's going on, Mom?"

"Well, Rex, we got some funding from the government and we have purchase you all a newer TV, with a music station, and the Warden has arranged to have two more cots put in all the tents today and have three new tents erected tomorrow! And the bathrooms with finally be finished." Pendanski announced excitedly and beamed at the boys.

"Damn," she heard Squid mutter under his breath.

"What's up?" Drew asked curiously.

"The tents are already crowded enough with eight people to a tent, never mind ten," he pointed out. "And the mess hall is crowded, too, and the tables. Why couldn't see just spend the money on better food?"

"Would you still be whining if we were going co-ed?" Drew asked lightly.

"We are?" Squid asked incredulously.

"Yeah, didn't you hear Mom?" Drew questioned.

"Really?" Squid asked, becoming more excited by the second.

"No, I just wanted to see what you'd do," Drew laughed.

"Oh! You're gonna get it!" Squid promised her and Drew began backing up slowly. She watched Squid slide his pool cue onto the pool table and Drew hastily did the same before taking off across the rec room to hide behind Magnet.

"Chica, what're you doing?" he asked looking over his shoulder worriedly before his nose was narrowly avoided as Squid's arm shot over his shoulder at Drew.

"Whoa!" Magnet said as Squid's arms shot past his right arm in a second attempt to grab Drew. Drew laughed and ducked out of his reach, sprinting in the direction of another corner of the rec room. An arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her to it's owner's chest.

"Now why might or pretty little Baby Girl be runnin' 'round the rec room like a raccoon on Ritalin?" Zig Zag's voice drawled in her ear. He held her seemingly effortlessly despite her escape attempts.

"Squid's gonna get me," Drew explain, hastily scrambling for a way out of his grasp.

"Really?" Zig Zag acknowledged dully. "Too late now, I guess." Drew looked up a moment before Squid had tackled her from Zig Zag's grasp and squished her into the sunken couch, her legs landing in Carp's lap. His look of surprise quickly turned into a wicked grin and before she could pull her legs off of him he had them pinned against his own legs. He held them tightly as Squid began tickling her.

"No! Stop! Stop!" Drew gasped between bursts of laughter, trying to push his hands away. She caught sight of Zig Zag watching them with mild interest. "Help, Zig!" she laughed uncontrollably. He smirked and trudged over to the couch, coming to stand at the end her head rested.

"Ready?" he asked her eagerly, smiling all the while.

"Yes! Just do something, please!" Drew screamed as tears of laughter slipped out the corners of her eyes and her stomach began to hurt from laughing so much.

"Okay," Zig Zag said. Drew felt his hands around her wrists and then he pulled her hands away from Squid.

"No, Zig Zag!" she shouted. He grinned evilly down at her as he held her hands above her head and Squid continued tickling her mercilessly. After another two minutes of being poked and prodded the three boys finally let her up.

"Ugh," Drew groaned, clutching her stomach. "I'm going to have bruises from you pretty much _raping_ me!"

Squid laughed gruffly. "Trust me, Baby Girl, if I'd raped you, you'd be hurtin' somewhere else." The boys around them laughed with him until Drew kicked Squid in the shin and his laughter turned to whines and the other boys' laughter doubled.

"Now, now, Squid," Zig Zag mock-scolded. "Play nice with my girl." He hugged her.

"Your girl, eh?" Drew laughed, glancing up at him. He smiled a goofy smile to rival Pendanski's and nodded.

"Oooh"s were voiced by the boys who'd heard the statement.

"No way, dawg," Armpit cut in from the pool table. "She's D Tent's girl."

"More like D Tent's bicycle," Saw joked scathingly. "Everyone gets a ride!" Drew smiled sarcastically and a well aimed boot to the side of the head silenced him.

"If you were asking for my personal _o_pinion," Drew began threateningly while smiling sweetly. "You're _lucky_ that wasn't a _knife_." Saw stared at her dumbly, saw the fire in her eyes. Zig Zag saw it, too; and something inside of him told him it was true.

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Author's Note: Okay so there's Chapter 11 for you! I know it was short but review, please! Asta!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hey, thanks for all the great reviews! Sorry about abandoning the story for a while but I started a new story in the Harry Potter section. I know its kinda suicidal considering I'm having issues updating this story and my Tamora Pierce one but, meh, I felt like writing a Harry Potter one too!

**loudgirlkatie** Glad you got a good laugh out of that and tell your sister "Bite me!" next time she tells you to shut up. Lol.

**ArwenEvenstar83** :O Oh my! I think this is the first time you've ever been beaten to a review! Lol. And by two people! I'm disappointed! Lol. Jokes. You're great!

**crzypoetryriter** Sorry, no, Camp Green Lake is not going co-ed. And sorry to anyone else who got confused by that.

**Tricksterstheifgirl** Thanks! I like it too!

Now! On with the story:D

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Chapter 11

Drew had fallen asleep in the rec room about a half-hour after her confrontation with Saw. She was curled up against Carp, head resting innocently on his chest.

"I think I like her better when she's sleeping," Squid joked.

"Yeah, no yelling, no shit with F Tent," Carp agreed, though he was serious. Pendanski waltzed into the rec room.

"Okay, boys, lights out in half an hour!" he called. Drew stirred in her sleep and the boys thought she would wake up, but instead she cuddled closer to Carp and muttered something indistinguishable into his chest. Zig Zag smiled down at her. She looked different when she slept; softer, more vulnerable.

"Should we wake her up?" Magnet asked, staring at the sleeping girl in Carp's arms. Zig Zag shook his head firmly.

"No," he said. "I'll carry her back to D Tent." Squid and Magnet shrugged indifferently while Carp simply glanced down at Drew. He watched Zig Zag bend down and gently left her off the couch. Drew stirred again and sighed, tucking her head into Zig Zag's shoulder. Carp smiled and heaved himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs onto the floor and standing up. D Tent were the last ones left in the rec room. Armpit, X Ray, and Twitch stood by the door with Pendanski.

"What's wrong with Drew, Ricky?" Pendanski asked concernedly, looking into Drew's face as Zig Zag carried her past the counselor as he filed out the door behind the other boys.

"Nuthin'" Zig Zag replied with a raised eyebrow. "She's just sleeping and we didn't want to wake her up. She looked too comfortable. And she's an insomniac."

"Oh," Pendanski said simply. "Well be sure to get her back tot he tent, safe and sound!" He gave Zig Zag a cheery smile and then missed Zig Zag's eye roll as he turned around to shut off the rec room lights and Zig Zag followed the rest of the boys back to the tent.

He gently lowered Drew down to her cot and pulled the blankets up over her small body. He kissed her forehead and straightened, watching her turn unconsciously onto her stomach. He smiled slightly and turned to his own cot.

Squid shook Drew awake the next morning. She groaned and tried to roll over in the cot but forgot she was, in fact, in a cot and not in her bed and ended up falling onto the floor. Zig Zag almost stepped on her.

"Jesus Christ, Drew!" he laughed. Drew groaned and glared up at him reproachfully. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"I slept here last night," Drew said sarcastically. Then she began to wonder how she actually did get back to the tent. The last thing she remembered was throwing her boot at Saw...

"Actually, no you didn't, and I know because I brought you back to the tent and put you in your bed last night," Zig Zag contradicted.

"I was wondering how I got back here," Drew stated and pushed herself up off of the hard floor and began digging blindly through her crates.

"Yeah, well you fell asleep on Carp and Zig Zag said not to wake you so he carried you back here," Magnet explained groggily, slurring his speech. Looking over at him Drew could see he was struggling to sit up in his cot.

"Did I?" Drew asked incredulously. "Sorry, Carp." She heard Carp laugh.

"No problem," he said and then added, "You were warm, anyway." Drew smiled to herself. She changed her clothes, which she noticed she hadn't been changed out of the night before. She followed the boys out to the Library and then out to the dig site. The day went by slowly, Drew stopped to appreciate the sunrise for the first time since she'd been there. It really was amazing. _I should have brought my camera_, she thought, taking up her shovel once more. The camp was quiet for almost a week until one day Drew saw the dirty yellow school bus pelting down the desert road towards the camp. The same bus that had brought her to Camp Green Lake. The three new tents had been erected and the two cots had been added to every tent.

"Looks like we'll be filling up soon enough," Squid commented casually as Drew's eyes followed the bus across the desert. This would be the first person to come to Camp Green Lake since her. When they got back to camp they found out the guy had been put into A Tent. As Squid had predicted, the camp continued to accept new cases, slowly working through A, B, and C Tent until D Tent got their first new member. Drew was the first one to meet him, oddly enough.

She had just finished digging one day about three weeks after the A Tent boy had come and when she walked into the tent she was startled by a very tall, muscular boy. He was shirtless with his back turned to her. A large black spider was tattooed on his right shoulder, web and all. It was eerie, creepy.

"Hi..." Drew said slowly, recovering. The boy whipped around to face her. He was puling one of the white t-shirts on over his chest, but not before drew caught a glimpse of an exceptionally muscled abdomen. He was black hair that fell around his pale face and past his ears, almost to his shoulders. His eyes were sunken and black.

"Hi," he replied, voice emotionless.

"I'm Baby Girl," Drew introduced herself, using her nick name. The boy stared at her. "What's your name?" Drew felt nervousness rise up in her chest and did her best to suppress it.

"Cliff," he said after a moment's pause. Drew could see his mind working behind his black eyes. He was thinking something. "I thought this was a boys' camp?" he finally blurted out.

"It is," Drew said.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked. He sounded neither angry, annoyed, or happy. His voice was flat, emotionless, haunting.

"Its a really long story," Drew said. She hadn't moved from her place at the entrance to the tent nor had the boy moved from his place at the back of the tent. His cot appeared to be the one on the other side of Zig Zag's. Silence stretched and Drew and the new arrival stared at each other for long minutes.

"Have you met any one else?" Drew finally asked, searching for something to say, anything to break the silence. The boy shook his head.

"Only Mr. Sir and that counselor," he offered. Drew nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. She heard footsteps outside the tent and prayed to god it was one of the boys, even X Ray. Thankfully the footsteps sounded closer and closer until someone walked through the tent flap and walked straight into Drew. Drew was thrown forward and the person caught her just before she fell. It was Magnet.

"Chica, what are you doing standing in the doorway?" he asked, confused, as he pulled her back into a standing position. He obviously had not taken notice of their new tent mate.

"Um, no reason," Drew said, not exactly comfortable voicing the fact that the new boy scared her. Drew heard pounding footsteps outside the tent and Magnet pulled her aside a split second before Squid and Zig Zag came sprinting into the tent.

"Ha! I found you!" Zig Zag exclaimed excitedly.

"You were playing Hide and Seek?" Drew asked skeptically. Magnet's response was a wide grin and am indifferent shrug. Drew burst out laughing, her fear momentarily forgotten. It didn't seem like any of the boys had noticed the Cliff yet. Once Drew composed herself she discovered Zig Zag and Magnet had switched places during her laughing fit and Zig Zag was standing behind her. She could feel his heat at her back.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. Zig Zag shrugged and glanced down at her. Drew's eyes darted to the corner where Cliff remained stock still. Squid took notice and let a surprised grunt escape his lips.

"Yo, man, were you standing there the whole time?" he exclaimed. Cliff nodded. "You the new guy?" Cliff nodded once more. "What's your name?"

"Cliff," Drew answered for him.

"Do you have to answer for him, Baby Girl?" Squid questioned her. Drew shrugged and walked cautiously over to her cot. She heard Squid performing introductions, heard her nick name somewhere between 'Squid' and 'Magnet'. She busied herself with gathering her shower things and left Squid and Magnet in the tent with Cliff while she and Zig Zag made their way to the shower stalls. Zig Zag dutifully took his place on the shower deck while Drew bathed and dressed. When she exited the shower stall she found X Ray, of all people, sitting with Zig Zag on the shower deck. They both looked up when she sat down on Zig Zag's other side.

"There's a new guy?" X Ray asked bluntly. He still didn't really like Drew. Drew nodded mutely. "And?" X ray pressed.

"He's got a spider tattoo on his shoulder," she blurted out. She didn't know what made her say it, but the damage was already done.

X Ray scowled at her and Zig Zag raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that?" X ray demanded.

"When I walked in the tent he wasn't wearing a shirt," Drew explained. "His name's Cliff."

"Hmm," X Ray acknowledged simply. "Well dinner's soon-" As if in cue the loud bell rang out signaling dinner to the boys. Drew followed X Ray and Zig Zag mutely into the mess hall and accepted her food without even frowning or scowling in the general direction of Bill. She didn't want to sit with Cliff at the table. Zig Zag steered her towards D Tent's table, none the less. She sat down between Zig Zag and Magnet at the opposite end of the table from the new boy.

"So, Spider, what're you in for?" X Ray addressed him. The boy glanced up at him, pausing the spoon half way to his mouth.

"Why are you calling me 'Spider'?" he asked suspiciously.

"'Cause Baby Girl, here, was kind enough to tell me you had a spider tattoo," X Ray said flatly. The boy's eyes darted to Drew, who looked across the table at Squid.

"How d'you know I have a spider tattoo?" he asked quietly.

"When I came in you didn't have a shirt on and your back was turned and I saw it," Drew replied reluctantly looking at him. He stared back at her.

"So what're you in for?" X Ray repeated.

"Vandalism, arson," Spider muttered, as if he was talking to himself.

"Of what?" X Ray pressed.

"Nothing," Spider said evasively.

"You can't just vandalize and burn nothing," X Ray pointed out arrogantly.

"It was nothing," Spider repeated. Drew noticed he towered over their tent's leader; he was even taller than Zig Zag, perhaps.

"C'mon, man, we're all friends here," X Ray coaxed.

"It was nothing," Spider repeated for the third time. Drew saw his jaw clench and was a bit afraid of what might happen if X Ray kept bothering him.

"C'mon-" X Ray began.

"Shut up, X!" Drew snapped. "He don't wanna tell you why he's here! Leave him alone!" Spider's eyes snapped in Drew's direction, as did the eyes of the rest of the boys.

"You know what, Baby Girl?" X Ray began. "I am sick of your shit! You never told us why you were here either! So why you here?"

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Drew hissed threateningly. "So shut your fucking mouth and leave everyone the hell alone!"

"Don't you tell me to shut the fuck up, Baby Girl," he shouted, voice rising. The surrounding tables were beginning to take notice of them.

"I'll tell you to do whatever the fuck I want to!" Drew yelled back. "Leave me and him alone!" She jammed a finger in Spider's direction.

"I don't have to and I don't want to," X Ray shot back. "So why don't you tell us why you're here? Hmm? What. Did. You. Do?"

"Its none of your business you fucking ass hole!" Drew shouted. Pendanski was making his way through the tables, a worried look on his face.

"Don't you-" X Ray never got to finish his sentence because Drew had leaped to her feet and made to dive at X Ray across the table. Zig Zag shot up and caught her, pining her arms against her sides and pulling her down onto his lap.

"Chill out, Baby Girl," he coaxed soothingly.

"Yeah, that's right!" X Ray said victoriously.

"Shut up, X," Zig Zag ordered and X Ray was so stunned he actually quietened. He was used to Drew talking back to him but not the rest of his tent.

"Shh," Zig Zag whispered in Drew's ear as she struggled to get free from his grasp, even though she knew it was useless.

"Just let me hit him, Zig," she whined weakly, quietly.

"No," Zig Zag said flatly. Pendanski reacher their table and now stood at the head of the table, frowning sternly.

"Rex! Drew!" he intoned, disappointment evident in his high voice. "I would have expected better behavior from the two of you! And on Cliff's first day here, too! You should know better! And I've warned you both about your language before on more than one occasion." The mess hall was unusually quiet as all the boys listened intently to Pendanski. Verbal disputes between Drew and X ray were common at Camp Green Lake, most of the boys ignored them, but _never_ had one of them tried to attack the other! "I expect better behavior from the two of you! Now apologize."

Drew and X Ray glared at each other, refusing to be the first to apologize.

"Sorry," X Ray grunted insincerely after a long minute of tense silence.

"Sorry," Drew replied stiffly and then turned her head to cast Zig Zag a look that said 'Can you please let me go now?'. Zig Zag obliged and let her slip back into the seat beside him while Pendanski marched off with a satisfied smile.

"I hate you," Drew muttered under her breath.

"I hate you, too," X ray shot back scathingly. They didn't really hate one another; just at the moment they strongly disliked each other. Drew felt a pair of eyes on her as she settled back in between Magnet and Zig Zag and conversation resumed around them. She knew who's eyes they were and felt a coolness seep into her blood stream and an involuntary shudder coursed through her body, raising goosebumps on her skin. She forced herself to look up into Spider's deep, haunting, black eyes. She made an effort to smile at him but the smile died on her lips. Spider stared into her eyes a moment longer before tearing his gaze away and attending to his food. Drew tried to shake the haunting feeling and return heat to her body by snuggling closer to Zig Zag. He looked down at her questioningly but she smiled falsely at him and spooned a blob of kidney beans into her mouth.

The next few days found Drew in the same condition. Spider said possibly nine words over four days and she'd never seen a smile on his face, or any sign of amusement or happiness, for that matter. He was cold and blank, like stone; the dirt they dug showed more emotion than he did. He was never out of breath or sore. He never complained, complimented, joked, insulted. Never did he laugh, frown, scowl, smile. His face was always the same blank expression, his voice the same flat monotone, that is when he did speak. On the fifth day of Spider's sentence Pendanski announced that D tent would be getting a new member the next day, as would E Tent.

Drew went to bed that night, wondering what the next new boy would be like, hoping he wouldn't be like Spider. Drew felt eyes boring into her turned back and cringed. Spider scared her. She flipped onto her other side and looked over Zig Zag at Spider. He was seemingly asleep. None the less, Drew couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding she had. Zig Zag was sound asleep in his cot, sprawled out over the mattress, breathing even. Drew hated to do it but she was scared: she shook him awake.

"Its not time to dig yet," he murmured and stirred. Drew shook him again. "Get lost, Squid."

"No, Zig, its Baby Girl," Drew whispered urgently, shaking him some more. Zig Zag shot up in bed.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Drew shook her head and looked down at her feet.

"Then what are you doing up?" Zig Zag groaned.

"Spider scares me," Drew whispered reluctantly. "It feels like hes always looking at me." She looked up at Zig Zag.

"Well I don't know what I can do about that," Zig Zag said gently.

"Can I... Can I sleep with you?" Drew asked. Zig Zag looked contemplatively at her though half closed eyes. Finally he sighed and moved over in his cot, lifting up the blankets.

"Climb in," he said. Drew smiled appreciatively, grabbed her pillow, and climbed under the sheets, back pressed against Zig Zag's chest. He pulled the sheets up to her shoulders and his arm settled around her waist.

"You okay?" he mumbled into her hair. Drew nodded. "Okay, now go to sleep." Drew smiled and obediently closed her eyes and drifted off, Zig Zag's even breathing echoing in her ears.

* * *

A bright flash woke Drew up the next morning. She jerked violently, knocking Zig Zag's chin with the back of her head.

"Baby Girl," Zig Zag groaned.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. She looked in the general direction of the flash and found Carp standing there, grinning, with the camera Sora had sent her.

"What're you doing, Carp?" she slurred and rubbed her eyes.

"Taking a picture," Carp said obviously.

"We know that, but why?" asked Zig Zag, sitting up behind Drew.

"I dunno," Carp said shrugging. "Maybe because I could use this for blackmail in the future."

"Shut up, Carp," Zig Zag and Drew chorused.

"You wanna see the picture?" Carp asked them after he'd finished shaking it and glanced over it at them.

"I don't care," Drew said, holding out a hand. "Sure." Carp handed the picture to her. Drew vaguely noticed X Ray slapping Magnet awake again. She looked down at the picture and smiled slightly. There was only one word for it: cute. Drew looked at herself wrapped in Zig Zag's protective embrace, her head tucked under Zig Zag's chin. Both their eyes were closed and they looked so peaceful. Drew smiled wider and looked at Zig Zag over her shoulder. He was looking down at the picture and when she looked up at him he smiled tiredly at her.

"Cute," he murmured and kicked her under the blankets.

"Ow!" she complained. "What was that for?"

"Get out of my bed," Zig Zag laughed. Drew stuck her tongue out at him and shuffled out of his bed and dropped to the floor in front of her own. The boys had resumed their normal morningly activity, the picture having been plucked from Drew's fingers by Carp who threw it in the shoe box housing all the pictures they'd taken. Drew hadn't started the scrap book yet. Drew dressed abnormally fast, doing her best to ignore the feeling of Spider's glare on her back. She bounded out of the tent before most of the boys, joining Squid, who was always the first out of the tent.

"Hey, Baby Girl," he greeted her as she leaned on his arm.

"Morning, Squid," she yawned and walked with him towards the Library, still leaning on him.

"Tired?" he asked. Drew nodded. There was silence and then Squid asked, "Why were you in Zig's bed this morning?" Drew sighed.

"No reason," she lied. "Just a nightmare and he was the closest one. I could have climbed in with Magnet but, I don't know, I guess I was just facing Zig Zag when I woke up." She shrugged against Squid's side. "Why? Jealous?" she teased, prodding Squid's ribs.

Squid laughed and tried to jerk away from her but she'd wrapped her arm around his.

"Hey, get back here, you're a good pillow," Drew ordered jokingly. Squid looked at her warily. "I won't poke you, I promise," Drew vowed and leaned her head back on Squid's arm when he'd returned to her side.

"And no, I'm not jealous," Squid added, "Just curious."

"Mmhmm, okay," Drew said.

"Really," Squid said firmly.

"I believe you," Drew said lightly. She really did but she was having fun annoying him.

"I'm not jealous!" Squid claimed.

"Okay," Drew accepted.

"Baby Girl..."

"I believe you, Squid!"

"You better!"

"I do!" Drew was laughing while Squid scowled down at her. Drew felt that burning sensation again and turned her head to look behind she and Squid. Spider was coming out of the tent but he wasn't even looking in her direction. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Squid's arm arm.

"What's wrong?" Squid inquired, gently prying Drew's arm from around his own. Drew looked up at him.

"Nothing," she lied, but couldn't resist glancing backwards at Spider, who was now following Squid and Drew to the Library, looking at his feet.

"Spider?" Squid whispered questioningly.

"Hmm?" Drew mumbled, as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"He scares me a bit, too," Squid admitted and moved his arm around Drew's shoulders. Drew leaned into him and let him lead her towards the Library. Drew tolerated the searing sensation throughout the day, trying to ignore it. She would even get goosebumps, despite the hundred degree weather, if she looked up and found him staring at her. She dug particularly quickly and went back to camp with Zig Zag, Squid, and Magnet, leaving Carp, Twitch, and Spider out of the lake bed.

Drew followed the boys into the tent to find Pendanski talking to their new member, both their backs turned. The new boy was tall, with black hair cropped close to his scalp and tanned skin. He was already dressed in the uniform jumpsuit and white t-shirt and was conversing with Pendanski.

"Hi, Mom," Squid mumbled. "Who's the new kid?" Pendanski turned around and smiled broadly at Drew and the boys.

"Well hello!" Pendaski said. "This is your new tent member! I'm sure you'll get him settled and such." The boy turned around and Drew's eyes widened. She recognized those dark brown eyes, she recognized the small, silver scar on his left temple!

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Drew demanded.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so there's Chapter 12! **Tickin' Time bomb**, **Morose Scarlett**, l**ilacsecrets**, **hobosshinnypenny**, **roaringflame**, **The Only Mrs Malfoy**, and **Petrified Park** I do believe you owe me reviews, please and thank you! Asta!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Woohoo! All time review high! Thirteen reviews for one chapter! Yes! I think I got as many reviews for Chapter 12 as I got for all of my Harry Potter story. Lol. Well everyone's been wondering who this mystery boy is that Drew is so upset about so I'm gonna answer a couple reviews and then carry on with the story!

**iluvjonny** I'm reall6y glad you enjoy this story so much and I'm very flattered you think its almost like a book!

**ArwenEvenstar83** Thanks for the long review and Cliff is his real name. Spider is his nick name. Yes, Drew is MUCH sweeter when she's asleep and yeah, she is a bit of an insomniac.

**hotredhead** Great that you enjoy this story so much!

**hobosshinypenny** Thank you for FINALLY reviewing and I am ecstatic that I was your first ever review :D And I'm really sorry I'm horrible about updating.

**demon-pup666** Thanks so much for the review. I do believe you're a first time reviewer for this story... Yep. I think so. About who Drew is gonna end up with, I'm still contemplating it myself.

**observer **I don't understand your review. Does that mean you like the story or hate it or were you just saying something about **demon-pup666**? It would be much appreciated if you wouldn't mind clarifying for me, please. And what is 'stg'?

P.S. Sorry 'bout the cliffy. I know everyone hates me for it. Hopefully you'll love me again after this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 13

"What am I doing here?" the boy bellowed back. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I was here first, you bastard!" Drew shot back, avoiding the question completely.

"That doesn't answer my question, bitch!" the boy screamed.

"Drew! Kristopher!" Pendanski scolded disbelievingly. "I didn't expect this language from you two! I am disappointed! And on you're first day here, Kristopher! Drew, you had a confrontation on Clifford's first day here too, what's wrong?" He brandished a hand in the direction of the tall, dark form in the corner of the tent: Spider. Drew and Kris ignored him.

"I'm a bitch?" Drew screamed back. "How dare you say that! You are a mother fucking bastard! I hope you fall into a hole and die! Out here it should be pretty easy!"

"I'm surprised someone hasn't already pushed you into one! You're intolerable!" shouted Kris.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you're here!" Drew shouted.

"This is a _boys_ detention facility! The last person I expected to see here was you!" Kris' face was turning red with rage and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Drew, too, was rigid with suppressed anger.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Zig Zag interjected, stepping in front of Drew and in doing so shielding her from Kris' eyes. "What's going on here, Baby Girl?"

"Oh 'Baby Girl', that's rich," Drew heard Kris scoff from the other side of Zig Zag.

"Shut up, Kris!" Drew screamed.

"You want to know what happened?" Kris continued angrily. "She knifed me!" Zig Zag turned slightly and Drew was able to see Kris lift up his shirt and reveal a small white scar where she had indeed stabbed him a year or two ago.

"Well he tried to kill me!" Drew exclaimed.

"I wish I'd succeeded!" Kris hissed and the look on Pendanski's face was that of complete disbelief.

"Fuck you!" Drew screamed at the other boy. "Its your fault I'm here!" Drew then clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that she'd just given him an opportunity to tell the boys what Drew had done. Thankfully Kris didn't notice.

"My fault! How is it my fault you're at a boys detention facility!" he inquired loudly. Drew looked behind her and found that a crowd had gathered in the entrance to D Tent. She recognized faces from the other tents amongst the crowd.

"I got kicked out of all the girls camps," Drew told him.

"Oh well thats a shock," Kris spat sarcastically.

"Shut up!" yelled Drew and she tried to push Zig Zag out of her way but he wouldn't budge.

"That's the best you can come up with, you worthless bitch?" Kris laughed humorlessly.

"You bastard! I wish I'd killed you! I really do!" Drew shouted wishfully. A shot rang out in the tent and Drew jumped. She felt Zig Zag jump beside her as well. She heard the boys at the entrance to the tent scatter hastily and then mutters started up around her.

"Now that's enough, both of you!" Pendanski shouted, red faced and looking the most intimidating Drew had seen him yet. He lowered the gun he'd drawn and glared at Drew and Kris. "I asked you nicely several times and you chose to ignore me. Now I am _demanding_ that you stop right now! We will not tolerate that kind of language at Camp Green Lake! Now apologize!" He looked expectantly between Drew and Kris, who sneered at each other. "Come on, or its two holes a day for a week!" Drew growled low in her throat and spat at Kris' feet.

"Sorry," she spat scathingly. Kris looked oddly satisfied and smirked as he apologized insincerely as well.

"Good," Pendanski finally said. "Now I am going to leave this tent and if I hear of you two fighting or cursing like that again I'll have the Warden involved. Drew, you're Kristopher's mentor." Drew sputtered disbelievingly after Pendanski as the counselor exited the tent calmly. Silence was left in his wake, save for Drew, who was still trying to retrieve her tongue. She finally settled for an enraged groan and stomped her foot. The boys outside the tent began to shuffle away, seeing the drama was over and nothing that was going to happen would be worth seeing. The D Tent boys stood stock still as Drew continued with her small tantrum, except Kris, who carried on with his unpacking as if nothing had happened. Drew finally turned to Zig Zag, eyes alive with fire and her face flushed. Zig Zag pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed into his embrace and exhaled therapeutically.

Zig Zag mumbled into her hair, inaudible to anyone except Drew, "Is this the Kris who-" Zig Zag stopped as Drew nodded into his chest. He squeezed her small body and rocked her from side to side. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you." Drew sighed and wrapped her arms around Zig Zag's ribs. She felt someone's hand on her hair and turned her face, cheek pressed against Zig Zag's chest, to see Squid standing next to Zig Zag. He smiled weakly at her and smoothed Drew's hair over her scalp again. Drew returned the smile and pulled away from Zig Zag.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," she told her friends.

"You're supposed to show me around," Kris reminded her. Drew turned on him and groaned again.

"Fine, come on," Drew said and padded out of the tent. Kris' hurried footsteps echoed behind her as she burst out into the hot sun. She stopped a few feet from the tent and Kris' tall form drew level with her smaller one.

"So where're we going first, Baby Girl," he asked. He said 'Baby Girl' in a way that made Drew want to hit him.

"Nowhere, I'm going to point everything out to you and then leave," Drew said snappily.

Kris opened his mouth. "Well that's ru-"

"There's the rec room, the mess hall, the bathrooms," Drew began, cutting him off. "Medical aid is over there. I hope to put you in there some time. There's the water spigot, Mr. Sir's office is over there but I guess you were already there, and there's the Warden's cabin. I'll be nice and tell you that the number one rule here is do not upset the Warden. She'll skin you alive." Drew set off into the desert towards the dig site without a backwards glance. She was relieved when she didn't hear footsteps behind her. Kris, she supposed, had made the wise choice to stay at camp.

She found Carp, Twitch, and Spider out on the barren lake bed. She was surprised to see that Spider was digging at about the same pace as Carp and was close to finishing his hole. Twitch, however, was digging as slowly as was usual. _Pitiful_ Drew thought sympathetically.

"Hey, Baby Girl!" Carp called to her enthusiastically, thrusting his shovel into the dirt and leaning on it. He squinted up at her.

"Hey, Carp," Drew said softly.

"What's wrong, Baby Girl?" inquired Carp, his brow creased with concern.

"Nothing," Drew said slowly, dropping into Carp's hole and resting her head on his chest, uncaring to the fact that it was lathered in sweat.

"C'mon, tell me what's wrong," Carp coaxed, tracing her spine with his index finger.

"I'm going soft," Drew said laughingly.

"What do you mean?" Carp asked. Drew couldn't see him smiling but she could hear it in his voice.

"A couple months ago if someone had of told me I'd be hugging you guys all the time I would have beat them to a bloody pulp," she admitted wryly and was rewarded with Carp's rumbling laugh. His chest vibrated against her forehead.

"Nothing wrong with that," Carp laughed. "Now what's really wrong?" He gently wrapped his hands around her shoulders and drew her away from his chest.

"I have issues with the new guy?" Drew said, trying to look innocent. Carp laughed.

"You had, and still have, issues with the old new guy, too," he reminded her quietly, casting a withering glance in Spider's general direction. A shovelful of dirt was thrown out over the edge of his hole.

"Well this one I have different issues with," Drew said reluctantly and wrung her fingers in her other hand. "You see, I kinda stabbed him... Twice..."

"Baby Girl!" Carp cried.

"What?" Drew returned. "He started it!"

"You _stabbed_ him?" Carp yelled.

"Shh!" Drew shushed him hastily and then carried on in a harsh whisper, "He deserved it!"

"But you _stabbed_ him?" Carp pressed disbelievingly.

"You would have, too!" Drew said pointedly.

"No I wouldn't! I might have hit him, but I wouldn't have _stabbed_ him!" Carp explained.

"Twice," Drew muttered under her breath.

"Baby Girl," Carp groaned. "You stabbed the new guy."

"Not here!" Drew exclaimed.

"No, I know, but you still stabbed him," Carp said.

"I know," Drew said, a smile pulling at her lips. She knew she shouldn't find this whole conversation funny, but in her morbid mind it was positively hilarious.

"Are you smiling?" Carp asked her. Drew shook her head.

"No," she said defiantly.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

Carp poked her in the side and Drew slammed her back against the wall, surprised. Carp laughed and grabbed her side, tickling her. Drew screamed and tried to scramble out of his hole but it was too tall already.

"No, Carp, stop, please stop!" Drew pleaded but Carp laughed and tickled her ribs mercilessly, still. Drew leaped at the side of the hole and manage to pull herself up to her chest before Carp grabbed her around her hips.

"Oh, no you don't!" he laughed and yanked her down. The force of her hips against his knocked him back as his back hit the wall, he lost his footing, and they fell onto the ground, Drew on his lap.

"Oomf!" Drew huffed as her head knocked against Carp's jaw. "Ow," she moaned.

"Damn," Carp laughed and rubbed his chin. "Your fat head broke my chin," he told her arrogantly.

"Oh _my_ fat head?" Drew laughed. "Its your own fault. And I hit my head on your chin, anyway so we're even." She felt Carp's lips on the back of her head.

"There you go, all better," he told her childishly.

"You know a kiss doesn't fix everything," Drew contradicted defiantly as she picked herself up. She stood in front of him and looked down at him, slumped against the wall of his hole.

"Really? Wanna bet?" Carp said challengingly and yanked her down onto his chest. Drew grinned.

"Of course," she agreed and leaned in towards him. His blue eyes watched her calmly. His lips were less than an inch away when Drew laughed playfully and flicked her tongue out to lick his nose. Carp's eyes widened and Drew laughed harder. Carp's chest shook under Drew's and he grinned and laughed out loud.

"I knew you were going t do something like that!" he exclaimed and lifted her off of his chest. Drew continued to laugh and squirmed.

"Lemme down, Carp!" she laughed. He dropped her beside him and rolled onto his side, supporting his weight on his elbow.

"Get out of my hole, Baby Girl," Carp suggested, smiling. "I'm almost done and then we can walk back to camp." Drew stuck her tongue out at him and then pulled herself out of his hole. She sat on the side of his hole while he took up his shovel again and thrust it into the ground, levering out a shovelful of dirt. Spider's black-haired head appeared over the edge of his hole, and part of his shoulders, as well. He looked to be measuring his hole with his shovel and then, seemingly content with his findings, turned around and pushed himself out of his hole. He picked up his shovel and made to go back to camp.

Drew took a chance and opened her mouth. "You gotta spit in your hole," she told him. Spider spun around to face her.

"Why?" he asked and Drew could have sworn she heard a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know," Drew admitted, shrugging, "You just do. Camp Green Lake tradition." She smiled at him, hoping his response wouldn't make her blood run cold. He looked at her for a moment longer before walking slowly back to his hole and spitting into it.

"Happy?" he asked her.

"Always," Drew replied.

"You didn't look too happy when you came out here," he muttered to himself. Drew was shocked. Those were the most words she'd ever heard him say at once since he'd been there!

"Huh?" Drew asked stupidly, for lack of anything better to say. She wasn't sure her tongue was working correctly at the present moment. Spider's black gaze fell back on her.

"Surprised?" he grunted.

"Little bit," Drew admitted truthfully.

"Don't be," Spider told her and turned once more and made his way back to camp. Drew watched him go, stunned into silence and stillness. Carp stood up firmly in front of her and wiped his brow.

"What you lookin' at, Baby Girl?" he asked, looking between Drew and Spider's rippled form in the distance. Drew started and then looked down at him confusedly.

"What? Oh, nothing," she said and smiled. He had evidently payed no attention to the conversation, if you could call it that, that Drew had had with Spider. "C'mon, let's go back. You've got to meet the guy I stabbed."

Carp shook his head disbelievingly. "I still can't believe you stabbed him," he told her as he threw his shovel up beside her and heaved himself out of his hole. He sat himself beside Drew and looked towards camp.

"You'll believe it when you meet him," Drew told him and stood up, waiting for him to do the same.

* * *

Author's Note: I know it was shorter than my other chapters and I know a lot of you were eagerly awaiting it so sorry if I disappointed you. Lemme know in a review, if you would pretty please give me one. I love reviews. They make me smile:) And gimme a break, I have bronchitis and a sinus infection and an ear infection and I still have to go to school. My mother's a Nazi. Well then, until next time, asta!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Hello again! I'm very very very sorry for leaving you without an update forever but I wanted to update my Harry Potter story to ten chapter for some reason unknown to even me! I must be insane! This story gets the most reviews, too! Which brings me to another issue... I do love the reviews I get from my faithful reviewers but I know that 17 of you get an alert notifying you that I've updated. So shouldn't I be getting feedback from 17+ people? Now I am going to answer some reviews and then start Chapter 14...

**lilacsecrets** I am feeling much better, thank you, and I appreciate your review!

**ArwenEvenstar83** I love your long reviews! I'm always so excited when I get a review from you! Yes, the Kris who is the new D Tent member is the same Kris who Drew knew and went out with and who tried to rape her best friend and he is part of the reason she's at Camp Green Lake. Carp wasn't exactly gonna kiss her; he was just flirting. Plus, he knew she was gonna pull something so he didn't bother getting his hopes up too high.

**loudgirlkatie** I love your reviews too! They're just as long as **ArwenEvenstar83**'s. I'm glad you found this chapter as funny as I wrote it to be. And Kris _was_ mentioned earlier. I can't remember which chapter though... 10 maybe?

**observer** Thanks for reviewing and I'm sure **demon-pup666** will forgive you for the small mix-up. And, I know, I'm guilty of writing a Girl-in-Green-Lake story. I admit it! But I actually like them unless they're the really overly dramatic, can't follow anything 'cause its all moving so fast, more than one girl, girl's camp got sent to Green Lake ones... I'm really picky, sorry. Lol

**KillerRubberDuckiesR-J** I'm glad you love my story and yes, Kris is an ass hole.

**opklnm** I know, I'm sorry breaks into hysteric tears . I'm horrible about spelling and grammar because I don't actually edit my chapters before posting them. I just spell check them. But I do occasionally go back and revise them every now and then so please, hold off the mob!

**Melissa** It made me so happy to hear that the first thing you did was check if my story was updated! But it made me very sad to know that you were grounded. My parents ground me from the computer if they wanna punish me, too. It bites. And I love ZigZag/OC too! And I totally agree with you, Max Kasch is the hottest one in Holes!

* * *

Chapter 14

One week, three days, eight hours. That was how long Kris had been at Camp Green Lake. Drew was mentally recording his time spent there in order to sue the court when she got home, for cruel and unusual punishment. Even though she was a criminal, this was just plain mean! She was leaning against her pool cue in the rec room contemplating the many ways to mutilate and torture the boy taking his shot at the moment. She had agreed to a pool game with Squid against X Ray and Kris. Drew secretly suspected X Ray was happy that Kris was here (even though he, himself, disliked the other boy), because that meant Drew was no longer trying to rip _his _throat out. Kris sunk the ball and straightened, smirking arrogantly.

"I always though you would have a hard time finding somewhere to put your balls," Drew said simply, flatly.

"Well it looks like you're pretty good at losing a game of pool to me," Kris said to her and then looked her up and down. He grinned cruelly. "And a few other things I know of." Squid's hand slipped on the pool cue and he sunk the eight ball. X Ray didn't even notice. Both boys were staring unblinkingly at Drew and Kris.

Drew scowled at him. "You're disgusting," she hissed at him, "And I wouldn't be surprised if someone dropped you in the bottom of a lake."

"We're at the bottom of a lake, baby," Kris pointed out. "And _you_ were dropped here first."

"Go to Hell," Drew whispered threateningly. Kris took a few steps towards her until he was less than a foot from her. Drew refused to surrender her position. It would only give Kris a greater sense of power over her.

"It'll be a nice reunion with a _few people_," said Kris. Drew walked away; she didn't know what else to do. If she'd provoked him any more, the camp would have known why she was here, and she didn't want that. Kris hadn't told anyone, so far, thank God! That was one thing she had to hand to him: he respected her enough to know that he should keep his mouth shut. Plus, she had enough on him to blackmail him if she wanted to. She sat down on the couch beside Zig Zag, who was staring avidly into the static television.

"What're we watching, Zig?" she asked him and drew her knees up under her chin, wrapped her arms around her legs.. He tore his eyes away from the TV and focused on Drew.

"Nuthin'," Zig Zag said. "The TV's broken today." The truth was, the TV was broken everyday, but she wasn't about to take that small fantasy away from one of her closest friends.

"Aww, that sucks," Drew said sympathetically.

"I thought I told you to stop lying?" Zig Zag reminded her.

"So? You're not my father," Drew laughed.

"Thank God for that," Zig Zag muttered under her breath

"Hey!" Drew exclaimed and kicked him lightly. The couch sunk down on her other side. Drew fought to keep her balance, assuming it was some random boy in the camp, but then she felt a hand on her back, helping her, and looked behind herself at Carp.

"There's Baby Girl!" he laughed. "Thought I heard you with Kris over there." He nodded towards the pool table, where some E Tent boys had taken it over. Carp, true to Drew's prediction, had come to despise Kris. In fact, all of D Tent, at least, disliked him. And so Kris had taken to hanging out with F Tent, unsurprisingly.

"Yeah, well, you know..." Drew let her sentence trail off with a half smile.

"There's the whore."

Drew looked around for whoever had said that; it had to be about her because boys didn't call other boys whores. She spotted Kris sitting with Hammer, Kancell and Saw on the couch across the room. They were staring at her. Culprits found.

"What d'you want?" Carp called. He'd obviously heard the comment as well.

"Well apparently," Hammer began casually, "Our boy Kris, here, found a condom under your bed. Having some fun in that tent?"

_Oh, God!_ Drew though, panicked, _Kris found the condoms Sora sent me! I knew I should have got them back from the boys!_

"Leave it alone, Kris," Drew moaned tiredly. She held her head in her hands, mind working furiously.

"Why should I? I always knew you were a slut, but I think you could do better than him," Kris stated cruelly.

"Shut up, Kris, all the boys have them," Drew told him and then realized, with horror, what she'd just said.

The four boys broke into fits of laughter and Drew shook her head. _How could I have been so stupid?_ She asked herself disbelievingly.

"So you've been screwing all of them?" Saw laughed harshly.

"Ugh! Shut up, Saw!" Drew yelled. She hadn't had a serious confrontation with them in quite a few months and would prefer to keep it that way. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to, though, if they kept provoking her like they were. She could already feel the urge to fight bubbling up in her chest. Her father had taken her to a psychiatrist once, after her fourth school fight. He had said she was prone to violence and suggested therapy. Drew had refused to go. _And look where that got me,_ she told herself sardonically.

"You gonna come over here and make us?" Kris challenged temptingly. Drew's fists clenched.

"Don't let them get to you, Baby Girl," Zig Zag whispered to her, seeing the signs of her anger.

"I'm trying," Drew told him huffily.

"Or are you gonna stay over there with your body guard-boyfriends?" Kris continued.

"You know the last thing I need is a body guard," Drew growled, looking at her ex-boyfriend darkly.

"Maybe you should prove it." Kris was doing this purposely. He wanted to get a rise out of her. He wanted her to get in trouble. Drew's mind rattled of reasons for his behavior but she never acknowledged one of them. The only thought she recognized was the one saying 'beat him to death'. The more she looked into Kris' brown eyes, the more appealing that option became.

"Scared?" Kris asked.

"I should have killed you, Kris," Drew said to him softly.

"But you couldn't," Kris spat evilly. "Your nothing but a weak little girl in a guy's world."

"You can hit him, now, if you want," provoked Zig Zag.

"Its tempting," Drew agreed.

Kris had risen from the couch and was now standing directly in front of her. He was taunting her with every movement, every bit of contact, ever breath he took.

"Leave her alone, man," Carp told Kris and she felt the couch rise beside her. Both boys had gotten up while she remained seated.

"She don't want nothing to do with you," Zig Zag added.

"They care about you so much, Drew," Kris said to her, and only to her. "Shouldn't they know why you're here. Shouldn't they know you're a-" Drew shot up from her seat and shoved Kris back a step.

"Baby Girl, the Warden'll come down on you," Zig Zag reminded her.

"Remember what Mom said," Carp said desperately. Drew remembered, she just didn't care.

"I see I hit a nerve," Kris taunted arrogantly.

"Anything I've done, you've done," Drew told him quietly, glaring hatefully all the while.

"True," agreed Kris lightly. "But the difference is you care, I don't. Why don't you go back to the tent, cool off a bit?" That was the best idea Kris had had for a very long time. Drew left. The tent was empty except for Spider, who was sleeping soundly on his cot two beds down from Drew. Drew let the coolness seep into her appreciatively. The sweltering heat outside was unbearable. The only sound Drew could hear was the muffled voices of the boys in the rec hall and the chirping of the cicadas.

Her cot was soft under her back as she lay down on it slowly, closing her eyes. Breathing deeply she calmed herself down. Kris shouldn't still be able to get to her so easily. After all, she hadn't seen him in almost two years. Drew's mind wandered and she didn't even notice when she drifted into unconsciousness.

_It was silent in the dingy alley way she and her friends congregated in daily. The sky was clouding over darkly, a sure sign of an impending thunder storm. Drew could taste the rain already. _

_"The year's almost over," Kora commented excitedly. "A week till freedom, guys!" She rubbed her hands together happily and a few people laughed. The school year was coming to a close. All they had left to do were exams, a few of them were even off to college next year. Drew had been lucky enough to skip a year and was finishing up grade 8. Her dad had been so proud of her, despite the small problem of her criminal record. The first drop of rain fell onto Drew's forehead. She smiled slowly. There was nothing better than a thunder storm._

_"Here it comes," Jay muttered to the group of twelve teenagers standing around him. They were thirteen in total. The eldest member of their group, Bryan, had named them Lucky Thirteen. Drew was the youngest. Sure enough, the rain came down in an curtain of water, the thunder clapped, a fork of blue lightning flashed above them. Drew closed her eyes. Thirteen teenagers stood stock still as the rain soaked them quickly and beads of water rolled off their faces. A sound at the other end of the alley caught Drew's attention, her eyes flew open. A group of people were walking through the rain towards them. Who were they? Drew counted sixteen. Puzzlement clouded her eyes. _

_"Bry," Drew said slowly. _

_"Hmm?" the older boy grunted. Drew pointed. Bryan turned._

_The sky rumbled menacingly and a fork of lighting illuminated the mystery people. _

_"Shit!" Bryan yelled and the thirteen teenagers dispersed hastily. _

Kris_, whispered Drew's mind._

Someone was slapping her. Drew swatted the hands away.

"Stop, Squid," she growled.

"It ain't Squid, baby," Kris said. Drew sat up in her bed quickly and glared at him.

"What do you want?" Drew snapped.

"Tsk tsk, Baby Girl," Kris scolded annoyingly. Drew wanted to slap him. "Is that how you normally talk to people you've been dreaming about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," lied Drew. "Get lost."

"You shouldn't talk to your boyfriend like that," he told her, waving a finger.

"You're not my boyfriend and since when can you tell me what to do?" Drew retorted disgustedly. Kris moved closer and closer to her. She held her ground and glared defiantly up at him, not that she could do much else.

"What do you want, Kris?" Drew asked again, calmly.

He kissed her and forced her onto her back once more. Drew was so shocked she let him. She felt his lips moving over her's and kissed him back before she realized what she was doing. She shoved him away ruthlessly and wiped her mouth.

"What do you think you're doing?" Drew demanded, her voice dangerously low.

Kris was smirking triumphantly. Drew punched him. His head snapped to the side but he continued to smile. "You seemed to enjoy it enough."

"Fuck you, Kris!" Drew shouted.

"You already did, remember?" Kris retorted easily.

"Get out! Now! Just get out!" she commanded.

Kris made a show of thinking about it. "Hmm, I actually like it here," he decided firmly. "I think I'll stay right here." He pushed her down and forced his lips onto her's again. Drew pushed him off and glared at him.

"Stop fighting it, Drew," Kris laughed evilly.

"Get out, Kris!" Drew yelled. Kris laughed again. Drew saw something move behind him. Kris didn't notice until a heavily muscled arm was around his neck and he was on the floor, gasping for air. As a reflex, Drew launched herself to the other end of her bed. Spider's arm was tightly wrapped around Kris' throat in an expertly executed sleeper hold. Kris's hands scrambled frantically over Spider's arm, looking desperately for a way out of the hold while his face turned redder and redder by the second.

"Jesus, Spider!" Drew cried. "You're going to kill him! Let him go!" Spider's black eyes focused on Drew and they exchanged glances. Kris was turning purple. The other boy glanced down at him and hesitantly let him go. Kris fell onto his side and coughed, gripping his throat and trying to get his feet under him.

Spider stood over him and watched him struggle, unmoving. Drew watched, amazed. Drew had never seen Kris on the short end of the spectrum. She'd never seen him intimidated or scared or on the ground because someone had put him there. He'd always been the stronger, better, more intimidating one. Spider had put him in his place for the first time in Drew's memory.

"Get out," Spider whispered threatening. Even more to Drew's surprise, Kris scrambled out of the tent as fast as he could. Spider watched him go and then turned on Drew.

"You okay?" he asked flatly.

Drew told him quietly, "You didn't have to do that." Spider shrugged.

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Author's Note: Hey everybody! Its Easter and I'm bored out of my mind! Though, I did get lotsa chocolate so I guess I can't complain too much, right? Well I'm sorry this chapter was shorter than the others but I just felt it would be better to end it there. Review please! Bye!


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note** Yeah... About not updating for three months...I'm really sorry... I'm a horrible updater! I blame it on my dad for his procrastination genes! You can blame my dad, too, if you want! But anyways... I've decided not to answer reviews in my stories anymore unless a reviewer asks a question that could benefit other readers. Sorry, but for the record, I _do_ answer reviews individually most of the time. Now I guess I'll start writing since, you know, the whole three-months-and-no-update thing... Sorry 'bout that...

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**Chapter 15**

Spider kept an unusually close eye on Drew for the rest of the week, especially when Kris was around. Kris, though, didn't try anything again. He would make snide comments when he thought Spider wasn't listening or if Spider wasn't there at all, but other than that, he kept his hands to himself and his mouth shut. The whole experienced had lessened Drew's fear of Spider hurting her, but now she knew he was dangerous, and she didn't know if that frightened her or not. She didn't tell any of the other boys about the incident in the tent, though they were suspicious, especially Zig Zag, but, then again, when was Zig Zag not suspicious? She would usually just laugh his questions off with jokes about his paranoia, but she knew he had an inkling of what went on. Spider never said anything, either, though Spider never said anything normally anyway.

Drew tossed and turned on her cot one night a week after Spider had nearly killed Kris. Thinking back on it, Drew wondered why she'd stopped Spider. She would have been much better off without Kris at Camp Green Lake. She finally gave up trying to sleep and threw her sheets aside. The snores of Kris, Armpit, Squid and X Ray masked her departure from the tent. The desert night was comfortable, not too hot, not to cold. It was perfect and peaceful. The black silk of the night's sky was visible and magnificent, as always. They were the only civilized area for miles in every direction, and the only light on at Camp Green Lake was the single light post illuminating the Library's weathered front. Even the Warden's cabin was dark. The day time cicadas were replaced by the nocturnal crickets, their chirps the only sound in the otherwise silent environment.

Soft footsteps behind her startled her and she looked around hurriedly, fearing it was Kris. It was Zig Zag. She groaned and wiped her hands over her face.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked quietly.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" Zig Zag repeated, turning the question on her.

"I asked you first," Drew shot back cleverly.

Zig Zag sighed. "Well I couldn't sleep with your tossing and turning on the cot _right beside mine_," he teased.

"Sorry," she apologized, smiling wryly. Zig Zag smiled back and sat down beside her.

"So?"

"'So' what?"

"You never answered my question. Why are you out here?"

"Well, you were the one who couldn't sleep because of my 'tossing and turning'. You should know."

"True enough," Zig Zag agreed, nodding. "So what were you thinking about?"

Drew chuckled and leaned against him. His bare chest felt warm against her cheek. "You know me too well."

She felt Zig Zag nod agreeably, his crazy hair brushing against her forehead. "Too much time with you, I suppose. You're corrupting me." Drew smiled. "So what were you thinking about?"

Drew sighed and blurted, "Kris."

"Kris?"

"Kris."

"What about him?"

Drew thought about it. She wondered if she should tell him everything about Kris. She wondered if she should tell him everything about her past. She wondered if she should tell him why she was there. She wondered if any of it mattered anymore, or if any of it had mattered in the first place. _"Anything I've done, you've done too."_ She remembered her words from the week before and she sat up straight, shaking her head.

"Nothing," she said, "Just Kris."

"I thought I told you to stop lying," Zig Zag said.

"You always say that exact same thing _all the time_!" Drew pointed out.

"I know," agreed Zig Zag. "I'm hoping you'll finally get so annoyed with me saying the same thing every time you _lie_ that you'll finally tell me the _truth_." Drew grinned roguishly.

"Nothing, Kris is just an ex who I'd prefer not to see, let alone live with," she told him lightly. It was a half truth, actually a fifth truth. The other four fifths she wasn't ready to tell him.

Zig Zag nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, he's a pain in the ass."

Drew nodded silently beside him.

"So X is leaving in a couple weeks," Zig Zag said after a long silence. Drew grinned roguishly.

"I know," she chuckled, "He hasn't shut up about it." Zig Zag laughed.

"It's hard to believe you've been here for almost six months," he said and Drew agreed.

"How did you ever survive without me?" she joked. Zig Zag shook his head, smiling, and stared down at his booted feet.

"Trust me, it was difficult," he said and looked over at her happily.

Drew smiled sadly. "I'm gonna miss you when you leave, Zig," she admitted. Zig Zag returned the smile and pulled her closer to him, resting her against his chest and hugging her tightly.

"I'm sure I could find a way to extend my sentence," he offered lightly. Drew laughed and shook her head. "C'mon! Why not?" he laughed.

Drew tilted her head back and looked up into Zig Zag's face. "You don't need to be here for as long as I'll be here."

"How long _are_ you here for?"

"Until three months before my seventeenth birthday."

Zig Zag paused and then asked curiously, "When's your birthday? I don't think you've ever told us?"

Drew smiled to herself. "Well you see, I get a very special birthday present this year."

"Oh, really? And what might that be?"

Drew snickered. "X Ray leaves."

Zig Zag laughed as quietly as he could. "No way!"

Drew nodded again. "March 31st, X-Ray leaves and I turn sixteen."

"Well in that case, I'm leaving at around the same time as you," Zig Zag said.

Drew tilted her head back and stared at him quizzically.

"How long have you been here?"

Zig Zag shrugged and thought. "I guess eight months or so, why?"

"I never knew drug trafficking got that long of a sentence?"

Zig Zag looked at her weirdly and then a look of dawning flickered across his face. "When you did that filing," he began, "You read my file."

Drew cringed and smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry."

Zig Zag shrugged and smiled. "I would have told you if you'd asked."

"I know. Sorry."

Zig Zag smiled again. "It's alright."

"But your sentence, why is it so long?"

"Third strike," he sighed and looked out into the desert. Drew shaped her mouth into an 'O', understanding. "First two were for, uh, underage drinking and vandalism and then fighting while drunk."

"You like your booze," Drew teased.

Zig Zag's chest rumbled as he chuckled. "My life was a mess and I could forget it while I was, ahem, under the influence. But that's the past, I'm fine now and I'll be fine when I get home." Drew caught the note of uncertainty in his voice as he verbalized his last comment, but decided not to mention it.

Silence fell while they sat alone on D Tent's deck, the only people awake for miles in every direction.

Not for the first time since her arrival at Camp Green Lake, Drew felt relaxed and secure, and she smiled. She could let her guard down around Zig Zag and Carp, Magnet and Squid.

"What are you smiling about?" Zig Zag whispered into her hair. Drew's smile widened.

"How did you know I was smiling?"

"I could feel your face move."

Drew shook her head. "Well then, you want to hear something funny?" She felt Zig Zag nod so she plowed on. "I like it here. Despite the sun and heat and dirt and digging and blisters and boys-"

"Hey!" Zig Zag cried indignantly. Drew ignored him.

"-I love it here." she finished. Her friend was silent, as if thinking. "Kris being here throws a wrench into things, though," she added satirically.

Zigf Zag was silent for a moment longer before asking randomly, "Was he your last boy friend?"

Drew was surprised for a moment, but answered the bizarre question none the less. "Yeah, why?"

"That's pretty much three years, right? Since you broke up and..."

Drew felt his hand on her ankle, just below the leg of her pajama pants, where the broken heart was carved, warm against her cool skin. She swallowed, her throat suddenly tight, and nodded.

After a moment Zig Zag asked seriously, "What happened in the tent last week? After Kris pissed you off and you left?"

Drew opened her mouth to lie, as she usually did, but the trut came tumbling out of her mouth as she blurted, "He kissed me." She felt Zig Zag stiffen against her, the muscles in his arm, shoulder, and chest tight. She began to ramble, "I didn't know what was really happening so I kissed him back, but then I realized who I was kissing and pushed him off of me and punched him but he wouldn't leave me alone. Spider pulled him off me eventually. He was sleeping in the tent when I went in. I guess he woke up when he heard us. He nearly killed Kris..."

Zig Zag was once again silent. Drew, herself, was stunned by her sudden moment of truth.

Slowly, Zig Zag touched her forearms where bruises in the vague shape of handprints were fading. "So your briuises-"

"Kris," Drew croaked.

"And Kris' throat-"

"Spider."

"And his jaw-"

"Me."

"He would have raped you." There was no question in Zig Zag's words. It was a statement. The anger was evident in his tone. Drew felt his body tense once more.

"He would have tried," Drew replied honestly. "But you've gotta remember, Zig, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She pulled out of his embrace and looked up at his face.

His brow was furrowed as he said, "But you said yourself, Spider had to drag him off of you. Why didn't you fight him off? You've taken on Hammer, Saw, and Kancell all at once, but can't take care of Kris?"

"Shh!" Drew hissed, back handing him across the arm lightly. "You'll wake everyone up!"

"I don't-"

"Shut up Zig Zag!" Drew whispered harshly and threw herself at him, hastily covering mouth with her hand. She knocked him over with her force and they landed flat out on the deck, Drew laying comfortably on top of him. "Shh," she said firmly and removed her hand cautiously, ready to slam it back down over his mouth if he intended to cause a scene.

"Zig Zag sighed and rolled his eyes. Returning his voice to a hurried whisper he said, "Fine, but why?"

"Because everyone is _sleeping_!" Drew whispered back exasperatedly.

"No, why didn't you defend yourself?"

Drew growled, annoyed. "I don't think I should have to explain myself to you Zig Zag, but I was sleeping if you must know. I was dreaming, in fact, about the reason I was sent here in the first place. _And_ Kris knows me very well, as much as I hate to admit it. I've known him since I was almost thirteen. We dated for six months and we've been fighting ever since we broke up. Is _that_ a sufficient explanation Zig Zag?"

Zig Zag stared up at her, obviously surprised by her outburst, as she glowered down at him. They were both so intent on staring one another down, that they both jerked with surprise as the tent flap was brushed aside. Both their heads snapped to the person standing in the entrance to the tent.

"Oh god!" Carp exclaimed and threw his arm across his face, shielding his eyes. "Sorry! I thought I heard someone-"

"No, Carp, this isn't what it looks like," Drew gushed, squirming uselessly.

"-and I came out to see who it was and now I regret it and-"

"No, Carp, listen to me-"

"-I'm really sorry. I'll just be going back to bed now."

"No, Carp, come here! This isn't what it looks like!" Zig Zag had begun to laugh hysterically half way through the conversation, if it could even be called that.

Pointing between Drew and the laughing boy beneath her he began, "You mean you and Zig Zag-"

"No!" Drew exclaimed.

"Aw, Baby Girl, why are you lying to Carp?" Zig Zag asked. Drew sputtered, complete disbelieve on her face as she looked down at Zig Zag's evil grin.

"Zig Zag, you are not helping!" she finally manage to choke out and tried again to get off him.

"Where are you going?" he asked sweetly and wrapped his arms around her waist and pinned her to him.

Carp began to ask, "What were you-"

"Nothing!" Drew hissed as she continued to struggle with Zig Zag.

"Liar," Zig Zag laughed and turned to Carp. "She wanted to-"

Drew's hand came down over his mouth again. "You finish that sentence, Zig Zag, and I swear to God..."

"You'll what?" Zig Zag asked when she removed her hand a moment later.

"Argh!" Drew growled and gave up her struggle. She let herself go limp on Zig Zag, hoping her weight would convince him to let her go. Her face was nestled in his neck, her breathing ragged. Zig Zag still shook as he laughed. She heard him tell Carp the truth and the other boy laughed and went back to bed. Drew lay motionless as Zig Zag's grip relaxed and her eyes closed as her breathing returned to normal. She felt Zig Zag's run his fingers gently through her hair. He did it often, Drew didn't know why but she liked having her hair played with.

"Baby Girl?" he whispered softly. _He thinks I'm asleep_ Drew realized. "Baby Girl?" he asked again. Drew ignored him. "C'mon, Baby Girl, I know you're awake." Drew didn't move or make a sound. "Fine," he said. She felt him brush her hair away from her neck and tuck it behind her ear, and then she felt something she didn't expect.

She felt the searing warmth of his lips on her neck, placing light kisses on her skin. She did her best to ignore the rising warmth in her chest and to ignore him. She wanted to fool him, but when she felt his tongue flick out to lick her neck before kissing it again, she couldn't help the tensing of her body and the goosebumps that broke out all over her skin. She felt Zig Zag's lips curve into a victorious smile and he chuckled, jarring Drew.

"Ha! I knew you were awake!" he taunted triumphantly. "Now open your eyes or I'll move onto hickeys, and they won't be sneakily hidden."

Drew's eyes snapped open immediately. Zig Zag's laughing eyes, a lighter shade of blue than her own, were the first things she saw, three inches away from her. She glared.

"Enjoy?" Zig Zag inquired cockily. _Yes_ her mind said. She decided to avoid the question by sticking her tongue out at him in a childish gesture. Zig Zag raised an eyebrow.

"I can think of better used for that tongue."

She ignored her friend's suggestive comment and rolled off of him. He let her. "I'm going to bed."

"So am I."

"Fine."

Zig Zig laughed. "Aww, is Baby Girl mad 'cause big bad Zig Zag won?"

"G'night, Zig Zag."

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**Author's Note** Okay, so I know you all probably want to lynch me at the moment for not updating. I understand that, but I hope you weren't disappointed. What I don't understand is how **t**_wenty people get alerts, but I only get nine reviews_Does that seem fair to you? Please review, I _accept anonymous reviews_! Adios!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note** Hello my wondee-ful readers! Yes, wondee-ful! I got 16 'effing reviews! Yay! I'm so excited! Lol. Okay I'm gonna answer some anonymous reviews and then I'll write!

**ZiL** I know, I'm horrible for leaving it for three months. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though.

**Emily** Sorry for confusing you. If you want to tell me what confused you, I'll clear it all up for you:)

**unknown** Thanks!

**Anonymous** Lol. I'm so glad your hooked. Hehehe. That means more reviews for me! I think X Ray will be leaving this chapter!

**Unknown** Thanks for the compliment and I'm updating now:D

**Chapter 15**

The dingy, yellow school bus pulled up in front of the line up of eight teenagers, though only seven were clad in orange that day. X Ray pulled out of the line and grinned at his tent mates.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," he told them, an underlying sadness in his voice. He grasped Armpit's hand and hugged him briefly. He did the same to every boy as he progressed down the line, even Spider, though his hug with Kris was very brief. Finally, he stopped in front of Drew.

"Baby Girl," he began after a moment's hesitation. "I know we've had our differences-"

"We almost killed each other, X, you can say it," Drew cut in.

X Ray smiled. "But I hope you'll forgive me for being an ass." He then hugged her tightly. Drew was shocked. She slowly hugged him back and they pulled away.

X ray traipsed over to the school bus' open doors and placed his foot on the bottom step. He paused and turned, his trademark smirk on his face.

"Take care, ya'll," he said with a salute and leaped onto the bus. The doors closed and the engine revved. They watched the bus slowly turn around and head back down the endless desert road. They waved at X Ray until they could no longer see his face in the dirty back window.

"Alright, boys!" Mr.Sir barked. He never acknowledged Drew's lack of a penis. "You know you've got the rest of the day off, but you'd better behave and be quiet! Y'hear?" It was too late in the day to dig.

"Yes, Mr.Sir," they chorused.

"Good, I'm going to my office, don't bother me!" And with that he waddled off in the direction of his building. They boys and Drew watched him go. His door slammed and Drew, being the last in the line up, turned to face the boys. A heavy sadness, that she hadn't realized before, had settled in her as she looked at the looks on her friend's faces. Kris, of course, was looking around the camp, looking for something to do. He didn't care that the tent had just lost their leader.

"So who's leader now?" Drew asked after a moment, desperate to break the depressed silence.

"Armpit," the boys said in unison, with the exception of Kris and Spider.

"Oh..." Drew said and shut her mouth. Zig Zag moved towards her a grin on his face. "What?" Drew asked suspiciously. "Why are you lookin' at me like that?"

"Because it is a very special day, isn't it Baby Girl?" Zig Zag said knowingly.

"No," Drew said quickly.

Zig Zag shook his head. "C'mon, Baby Girl, tell the boys what day it is."

"Its the day X Ray left," Drew said.

"Nope, what day is it _really_?" Zig Zag pressed.

"For the love of God!" Kris exclaimed, annoyed. "Its her fucking birthday! La de fucking da!"

The original shock of Kris remembering her birthday was quickly over-come by her urge to run, as fast and as far away as possible as her friends slowly turned towards her, grins on their faces.

"Birthday beats!" Squid yelled and that was Drew's cue to run. She took off towards the rec room, the boys right behind her. She sprinted through the door, leaped over the back of the couch, and rolled onto the floor. She shot to her feet as the boys crowded into the room. They blocked the door; she'd cornered herself! They closed in on her. Drew jumped over another couch, ran around the weight lifting equipment, and threw a chair down in front of them. She heard someone fall and the laughter of the other boys as she ran through the door. It was pure luck that she'd gotten out unmarked.

She ran into the tent and ran right into Spider's solid chest. She looked up into his black eyes and was shocked to see what she was sure was amusement.

"No! No Birthday beats! Please, Spider!" She pleaded.

The much taller boy shook his head and walked past her. She was left in the tent alone, with nowhere to go and nowhere to hide.

"Place to hide, I need a please to hide," she muttered softly to herself, turning around in a circle looking frantically for a hiding place as the boys' voices got closer and louder. She panicked and dove under someone's cot and waited, trying to slow her breathing and make herself small and unnoticeable.

"I swear... I saw her... run in here..." Armpit puffed. Drew watched the five boys congregate around the door flap.

"So did I," Carp agreed, confused. Drew smiled to herself. The booted feet spread out around the tent, walking slowly and deliberately. The mental image of their eyes of various colours scanning he room popped into her head and she knew that was exactly what they were doing. She watched a pair of booted feet approach the end of the cot slowly and her breath caught in her chest. A thud on either side of her startled her and she knew she'd been found out even without them saying anything. She didn't even have a chance to make a get away before a hand grabbed the back of her jumpsuit and dragged her unceremoniously from under the cot.

"Now whose this under my bed?" Zig Zag's voice teased from the other side of the cot. She glared at him and then at Carp, who held the back of her jumpsuit firmly. The other boys were spread around the room grinning madly, all except-

"Carp, let me go!" Drew ordered demandingly.

"Nuh uh! I don't think so, Baby Girl!" he said and she felt his chest heaving with suppressed laughter.

"No, its okay, let her go, she can't go anywhere," Zig Zag said. Carp did as he was told and Drew stood limply in front of him, knowing Zig Zag was right. _Of all the places, why did I hide in the tent?_ She asked herself regretfully.

The tall blond smiled at her, blue eyes dancing. "Birthday Beats or Birthday kisses?"

Drew stuck her tongue out at him and remained silent.

"Both it is!" Zig Zag cried.

"What's sexual harassment and assault," Drew spat.

"You won't report us, you love us too much," Zig Zag said confidently and began to make his way around the bed. Carp's arms wrapped around her and held her tight around her abdomen. She slipped her foot between his legs and kicked the back of one of his knees so that he fell. She prayed he fell backwards. Her plan worked as Carp tumbled back wards over her cot and let go of her in surprise. She leaped onto Zig Zag's cot and from that one onto the next one. She was out the door flap before Armpit had finished yelling for the boys to block her exit. She dashed into the rec room once again. Kris sat on the couches but he didn't even look up when Drew entered.

"They're gonna get you, Drew, just like I did," he taunted in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up, Kris!" Drew hissed.

"Make me, Drew," Kris shot back lightly.

"Oh, I'll make you alright," she growled and started towards him menacingly. He looked up calmly and dropped the magazine he'd been reading on the couch.

"I don't usually hurt girls, but I'll make an exception for you," he told her as she lunged at him.

"You're a lying son of a bitch!" she shouted as they landed on the hard floor and he rolled on top of her.

"You hurt girls too, though, Drew," Kris yelled back and made a swing at her face. She dodged most of it, but his knuckles clipped her cheek bone. "As I recall, you-"

"You son of a bitch! She know she deserved it!"

"Well so did Jay," Kris hissed.

Drew managed to throw him off of her. His surprise was evident as she paused. She took the opportunity to kick him in the thigh.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about Jay, you ass hole!" Drew sat on top of him and punched him in the face. Flecks of blood flew from his mouth. She paused as Kris grinned viciously up at her before his drawn back fist connected with the side of her head. She was thrown off of him and landed on her back, ears ringing. She was dizzy, but managed to climb to her feet before Kris had the opportunity to get the upper hand. When her vision cleared, Kris shoved her and Drew took stepped backwards to keep her balance.

"C'mon Drew, you ain't giving up, are you?" the bigger boy teased. She growled swung her leg up to kick him in the head. He ducked, grabbed her leg, and yanked, spilling her onto the floor. Her head hit the floor hard, followed by her neck and then the rest of her body. Kris stood over her triumphantly.

"You're nothing but a little girl in a boy's world, Drew."

He turned to go, but Drew scrambled to her feet. He wasn't getting away that easily! She swung him around to face her and punched him square in the eye. As he leaned over she kneed him in the nose and then shoved him to the side.

"You wanted a fight, Kris, now you've got one!" she shouted angrily, her voice laced with malice. Kris straightened and glared at her before lunging at her. He caught her around her belly and they flew backwards into the couch with such force that it was knocked off balance and tipped with them. They rolled backwards and were sprawled on the floor. Kris was the first one to his feet, as Drew was catching the breath he'd knocked out of her, but she wasn't far behind.

"Let's go, Drew," Kris urged, bouncing into a fighting stance. "You don't have your knives to rely on this time."

"I don't need them," she replied and made an abrupt kick to his jaw. He wasn't expecting it and so it connected and he crashed to the ground. She waited for him to get up again and when he did she grabbed him around the neck and kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to the floor. She had him in a choke hold. He grappled with her for a few moments before finding a grip and flipping her over his shoulder. She hit the floor like a pancake. _Splat_ her traumatized mind thought. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that she needed to get up. Kris was catching his breath. She somehow forced herself up, but not quickly enough. Kris caught her under her arms and yanked her off the ground, off her feet, and into a hold that squeezed the breath from her lungs. She gasped for air as she frantically tried to elbow him. She tried several times, her arm always glancing off his face. Finally she connected and he cried and let her go. She crumpled to the floor. It was cool against her hot face.

She was heaved to her feet again, but managed to slip out of the boy's grip and through his legs. It was a risky move, but when her head wasn't crushed by knees, it was effective. It worked and she punched him in the kidney. His back arched and his hand came to cradle the place she'd hit. Drew reached up and wrapped her arm around his neck, yanked, and move out of the way as he was thrown to the ground. She stood on his throat but he was stronger than she was heavy and he twisted her leg to make her fall. The front of her head hit the floor then, and a searing pain tore into her mind.

She crawled to all fours and Kris kicked her in the ribs. She was thrown onto her back. She rolled onto her stomach and onto her feet before Kris could do any more damage. Unfortunately, he grabbed her by the front of her jumpsuit and threw her against a wall before she could do anything. Holding her there with one hand, he punched her across her jaw with his other. A metallic taste splashed into her mouth and she spit in his face. A diluted mixture of blood and saliva splattered onto his face and he growled and shook her before tossing her too the side.

Breath left her lungs and Drew gasped. Between the physical strain of fighting with Kris and having the wind knocked out of her she felt like she was drowning, but she couldn't let that happen. She jumped to her feet again and threw herself into Kris' stomach. She couldn't throw them backwards, but she forced him back and then they flipped. She landed on top of Kris and made a move to block his impending swing, but it never came. She flinched without meaning to and slowly let her arms uncover her face. Kris lay under her, breathing labored, eyes closed. He was unconscious. She heard slow footsteps behind her and turned slowly to face the person.

"Miss Cathers," the red haired woman said calmly, "Would you care to explain yourself?"

**Author's Note** Alright, I understand if you want to lynch my but I hope you don't. I really really hope you don't. Lol. I know everyone wanted to see a showdowbn between Kris and Drew so there ya'll go. Gimme some feedback pretty please with a sexy Zig Zag/Magnet/Squid/Other D Tenter on top? Adios!


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note** Hello! Well, we've made progress. I received absolutely no death threats this time! And I got 21 reviews! Woot! Okay, so some people weren't too overly happy about the cliffy, but my life wasn't threatened. I'm gonna answer some anonymous reviews now and then I'll get on with the chapter.

**Unknown** Thank you very much!

**moni** I am, I am

To those of you who left your emails, thanks so much! It really helps me out! I always answer reviews directly when you leave your email or if you're a member! Review and make me happy!

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**Chapter 17**

Drew turned her head slowly to glare bitterly at the Warden. She didn't flinch. She didn't blink. She didn't swallow. She froze. _Was Kris dead?_ Was her first thought after a long moment of stillness. She agonizingly drew her eyes back to Kris' still form under her. A drop of her own crimson blood dripped onto the boy's chest. It slowly rose and fell as red tentacles laced themselves into the fabric of his white t-shirt. She took a survey of the visible damage she'd done.

His nose was broken and bleeding, a small pool of blood was forming behind his head on the floor. A cut marred his eyebrow and the blood traced a path down his temple and into his hair. His lip was bleeding from a split in it. The beginnings of a black eye were obvious. Drew blinked, sighed, swallowed.

"Miss Cathers?" The Warden's voice was impatient as she repeated her last words. Drew looked at her again.

"Yes ma'am?" Drew said quietly. She felt blood on her lips, slippery and wet.

"Can you explain yourself?" the Warden demanded. Drew solemnly shook her head. The Warden sighed. "Get up off of him. He's knocked out cold. Pendanski!" Drew did as she was told without any protest.

The short, skinny man appeared in the doorway of the rec room within a few seconds. He walked cheerily over to the Warden though as he caught sight of Drew and Kris and the mix of their blood the stupid smile was wiped from his face.

"What on earth-" he began but the Warden cut him off harshly.

"I want this boy in the doctor's office _now_. Go find Mr Sir and bring a stretcher. Drew, here, needs to be looked at as well, but she can wait." Pendanski stood beside the woman looking dumbfounded. "Now, Pendanski!" The councilor jumped and rushed out the rec room's open door. The Warden turned back to Drew.

Drew was sure she was quite a spectacle. She could feel the blood from the cut over her eyebrow running down the side of her face, could see the shadow of red in the corner of her eye. She was sure new bruises would be materializing on her face within minutes. Her left wrist throbbed achingly, her right knee felt awkward, the vertebrae at the top of her spine felt like they were poking holes in her skin, and her breath came in deep gasps, though they weren't very painful. She shifted her weight onto her good leg, but her knee continued to feel awkward none the less. _At least I'm not unconscious_ she thought to herself sardonically. She caught sight of her tent mates over the Warden's shoulder, until then unacknowledged. The Warden turned, following her line of sight.

"Boys, would you give me and your tent mate a few moments alone, please."

It was a command, not a question, and the Warden phrased it as such. The boys hurried out of the rec room doorway quickly, Zig Zag's was the last face Drew saw.

The Warden waited a good long while, back turned to Drew, looking out the rec room doorway onto the open, desolate desert. The only sound in the rec room was Drew's raggedy breathing. She didn't say a word. Finally, the Warden turned. She didn't look happy.

"Now, Miss Cathers, I understand that you and mister Kempton have a history, but I _will not_ tolerate this sort of behavior in this establishment! I let you off easy your first fight here, which I wouldn't do for most, and I told you if you _ever_ made another spectacle of yourself as you have just done there _would_ be consequences. Two holes for the next two weeks. Mister Kempton will be given the same punishment. Understood?"

Drew nodded meekly, "Yes ma'am."

"Now, as for your living situation. It is clear that having you and mister Kempton in the same tent, let alone the same institution, is out of the question. So therefore, you will be moving to F Tent immidiately."

"No, please-" Drew said, panicked.

"You can't put her there!" an outraged male voice stated.

"Excuse me?" the Warden asked threateningly as Zig Zag strode into the rec room. "I thought I told you to give us a few minutes alone?"

"Yes, ma'am, you did, but you can't put Baby Girl in F Tent, ma'am. I mean no disrespect, but if you remember correctly her first fight was with F Tent?"

The Warden opened her mouth to put Zig Zag in his place but then closed it and pondered for a long moment. A drop of blood dripped off Drew's eyebrow and onto her cheek, landing right before her eye. Drew blinked instinctively.

"Hmm... Very well. Mister Kempton will be moving to F Tent immidiately. They've got the space to spare, we haven't had any new camper thus far." Drew exhaled a breath of relief. She was safe for now.

"Thank you, ma'am," Zig Zag thanked her, as Drew's tongue seemed to be numb and glued to the roof of her mouth.

"Uh huh," the Warden mumbled superiorly before rapidly changing the subject. "Zig Zag, get this girl to the medical now, please. And both of you, have a nice day!" That was their cue to leave. Zig Zag grabbed Drew's good wrist and hauled her out of the rec room. She limped all the way, but Zig Zag didn't notice and Drew didn't complain. As soon as they were on the porch Zig Zag whipped around and guided Drew to off to the side.

"Are you alright?" he demanded tightly. His face was pale and his eyes were worried. He pushed her bangs out of the blood oozing from the gash above her eyebrow and examined it closely.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Drew croaked.

Zig Zag stopped his frantic hand movements and looked her in the eye. "No, you're not." Drew stared at him and sighed, dropping her eyes.

"I'm fine, just a bit banged up."

"I'm sorry."

Drew frowned and looked back up at him. "What for? You didn't give me this." She said in a lame attempt at a joke as she waved at her eyebrow.

Zig Zag shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't jump in and help you out. And I'm sorry I got you in trouble and I'm sorry that you're beaten up and... I'm just sorry for everything. Its just, we all got in there and you two were going at it and I just didn't know what to do!"

It was Drew's turn to shake her head. It made her dizzy. "Its alright, it was my fight. Its about time it happened too. Don't worry 'bout it Zig Zag..." Another bout of dizziness hit Drew and her vision darkened.

"Are you sure?" Zig Zag asked.

Drew nodded a moment before the dark haze encompassed her mind and her knees gave out underneath her.

* * *

"...ask you once more to _please_ go back to your tent!" The fuzzy words echoed in Drew's mind. Her head pounded.

"Not until we see that she's alright!"

Drew's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Carp's concerned voice.

"She lost _a lot_ of blood. I don't expect her to be awake for at least another hour or so. You all saw your rec room. There was blood everywhere. I don't think that stain behind the weight equipment is ever coming out of the floor!"

"That was Missile's blood, though!" Zig Zag put in. They'd nicknamed Kris Missile after an eternity of thinking on something that would suit him.

"Still, I'm surprised she even had the strength to talk to the Warden, let alone walk or stand or talk to you." It was the doctor talking.

Drew heard the unmistakable sound of a body being thrown into one of the plastic waiting chairs in the other half of the cabin.

"Oh, god, its all my fault," she heard Zig Zag say to Carp, his voice only slightly above a hoarse whisper.

Drew slowly, quietly, painfully heaved herself into a sitting position. She swung her legs over the side of the cot she'd been resting in. She found her right pant leg rolled up to accommodate a knee brace. As she went to roll it back down she found a wrist brace on her left arm and a bandage encircling her right arm below her elbow. She saw various other small cuts on her legs and arms and felt some on her back and front and face. A bandage was taped on her eyebrow, distorting her eyesight minimally. Under it lay what Drew was sure were stitches.

She tested her legs by putting weight on them, while still remaining on the cot, and when they didn't collapse she stood up. She wobbled. Steadying herself she limped toward the closed curtain in her sock feet and threw back the material. In the waiting room stood the doctor, Zig Zag, Carp, Squid, and Magnet. All five pairs of eyes turned to her at the racket. The four boys clambered over to her while the doctor tried to speak over them.

"Boys, out, Miss Cathers, back in bed."

"I don't want to go back to bed," Drew grumbled, allowing the boys to help her to a seat in the waiting room. She sat down with a groan and the boys crowded around her.

"Are you alright?"

"Does it hurt?"

"How are you feeling?"

"How's Missile looking?"

Questions were flying at her from each of the boys mouths. Drew ignored all of them and asked, "How'd I get here?"

They went quiet. The doctor was the one who answered. "This one carried you here, seemed pretty concerned too." She tapped Zig Zag on the back, as he was kneeling in front of Drew. He blushed slightly as Drew turned to him.

"You?"

He nodded.

Drew smiled. "Should have known. Thanks, Zig." Zig Zag shrugged.

"Well then, Miss Cathers," the doctor began. She'd found her clipboard and was currently looking at Drew's medical chart. "If you aren't going to stay and lie down here I would suggest going back to your tent and lying down. You're free to go, I suppose, but no activity for today, alright?"

Drew nodded and stood up. The boys followed her out and Zig Zag scooped her up.

"I can walk, Zig," Drew complained weakly.

Zig Zag shook his head and his hair tickled her nose. "I don't care, I'm carrying you. You're knees fucked up anyways."

"So? Whatever..." Drew let her head rest against his chest and closed her eyes. Watching everything move was making her sick. They walked her into the tent and Zig Zag lay her down on her cot. The mattress sunk down where Zig Zag sat.

"Go have fun, Zig, there must be some people in the rec room?" Drew slurred.

"They're cleaning up the blood, Baby Girl," Squid said solemnly.

"Mmm... There can't be that much."

No one answered but Drew didn't notice. She was only half-conscious.

"Where's Kris?" she asked suddenly when the boys thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Uh... Medical office, why?" Magnet answered slowly.

"Good," Drew said and then passed into unconsciousness.

* * *

When the recorded trumpet played the next morning Drew didn't wake up as she normally did. For the first time in months Squid had to wake her up.

Digging that day was a bigger chore than usual, partially because she couldn't put too much weight on her right knee or left wrist, but mostly because she had to dig two holes. All of the boys offered to help her, but she refused them all. Zig Zag dug his hole extra slowly, taking several breaks, so that he finished at the same time Drew did. He didn't want to leave her out on the lake bed by herself. Drew knew he was worried about her.

Drew measured her last hole. Satisfied, she turned to climb out of her hole and found Zig Zag standing above her. Without a word he stooped and offered her a hand. She took it and he pulled her up and out. The walk back to camp was comfortably silent.

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**Author's Note** Alright, alright. I know, you want to kill me 'cause I left you with a cliffhanger and then didn't update for seemingly ever. I know the feeling and if I weren't me and I were you I'd want to kill me too! Any ways, please review, I'll answer them! 


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note** Okay, now I know some of you have thought up some very creative ways to track me down and proceed to kill me in the most painful way possible. I admit that I most definitely owe you all an apology because I know I waited over nine months to update; I realize my last installment was on November 8th. I'm sorry. I went on a Harry Potter blitz and I wrote like 4 chapters for my HP story, but they're all in a notebook (so was this chapter... or part of it at least) so I have to transfer those onto the computer and as I've mentioned several times I don't like doing that when people are around. Anyways... I'll stop boring you by ranting on and on about my inadequacies, and answer some reviews.

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**crazyhuni** Your Review:hahahahaha oh my gosh my face hurts from laughing so much!! you have an amazing talent you've made it hilarious but it also has a really good plot! plz plz keep writing and update soon i'm really enjoying it!  
thanks so much for being one of those nice people wholet people reveiw who don't have an account (my parents won't let me)  
thanks again ; )

My Reply: It's good that you find the story so funny. And I don't know why some people won't allow anonymous reviews! It's so stupid!

**sharkylove** Your Review: i love the way u write, it reminds me alot of the way i do, but id never have the guts to put somethin online for everybody to read...

My Reply: Put something up, I'll read it. You shouldn't be afraid of judgment, besides, you don't know anyone who would review for your stories anyways!

**AutumnAshes** Your Review: Hey, i just read your fic so far and i love it. I'm not sure if your still writing (i didn't check the date) but if you are then i can't wait for another chapter! Your an awesome author and i love what you've done so far. Keep up the good writing!

My Reply: Yes, I am still writing, but I've just been really lazy for the past nine months. I went on a Harry Potter spree, then I put a new story up on FictionPress and I had writers block for this story but I'm updating now.

Once again, sorry to everyone! I'm updating now! Please don't hate me! Here we go!

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**Chapter 18**

The tent wasn't empty when Zig Zag and Drew returned to camp from the lake bed. A hunched figure was stooped, emptying the crates under Kris' bed. A bandage was bunched at the back of his head, a bruise marred the back of his neck.

"Hey, Missile," Zig Zag greeted gruffly. Kris started, then relaxed slightly and turned to face them. His face was badly bruised as well, his nose purple and swollen from being broken. He had a black eye on the right side of his face. His dark eyes took in Drew's physical state, knee brace, wrist brace, stitches, bandages, cuts, bruises and all. She saw satisfaction flicker in his eyes before he rested them on Zig Zag. He didn't verbally acknowledge Drew at all.

"Hey, Zig Zag," he replied, equally as gruff.

"How long have you been out of the office?" inquired Zig Zag politely. Kris had still be passed out cold in the medical office when they'd left for digging that morning.

"I woke up at around lunch time," Kris began to answer, "I've apparently got a concussion so the doc wanted to keep an eye on me for a while. She let me out an hour ago, I guess. She said the Warden wanted to see me, so I went to see her, and she told me I have to dig two holes for the rest of the week and to pack up my shit 'cause I'm moving to F Tent." he said the last part with a smile twisting his fat lip. He usually hung out with F Tent and he wasn't very popular in D Tent, anyway.

Zig Zag nodded silently. Drew left his side and went to search under her cot in her crates for her shower essentials. She set her leg out awkwardly. It already throbbed from the day's work, she didn't want to make it worse. She swore softly as she leaned forward and accidentally twisted her knee. Immediately a pair of strong arms were around her waits, hefting her to her feet. She winced soundlessly.

"C'mon, get up," Zig Zag grunted as Drew resisted.

"I'm fine, Zig Zag! Put me down!" Drew demanded uselessly,

"No, you're not," he stated firmly as he finally set her on her feet and dropped to his knees in front of her bed. He pulled her shower bag out and stood up. Handing the bag to her, he turned, collected his showering things, and placed a hand on her back.

"Alright, let's go."

The showers were deserted. All the campers were already back at camp, showered, and relaxing in the rec room or their tents.

"You gonna be alright in the shower alone?" Zig Zag asked concernedly. "You can't get your knee or wrist brace wet."

"You implying you want to shower with me, Zig Zag?" Drew teased. She laughed as Zig Zag grinned and shook his shaggy head, causing his hair to fly everywhere.

"As long as you're sure you'll be alright..." he said uncertainly.

Drew rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I'll be fine Zig Zag!" His concern was well-intentioned, but it was quickly becoming redundant.

"Alright, alright! Well I'm just next door if you need me." The taller boy entered the shower stall next to hers and knocked on the wall separating them for emphasis.

Drew smiled and shook her head as she began to undress. The last things to go were her braces She limped over to the shower head, inserted her tokens, and gasped as the metallic fixture emitted a cascade of frigid water. Even after six months at Camp Green Lake, she was still not accustomed to the bathing conditions. She washed and shaved as quickly and efficiently as possible, with her limited amount of time, a twisted knee, and a sprained wrist.

She finished a couple seconds before the water shut off. She dried off slowly, taking inventory of her various bruises. Some were small and barely noticeable, like those on her shins. Others were large and very noticeable. Her stomach was encompassed by a large, purple bruise the size of a fist, another bruise bloomed on her wrist where she'd sprained it. The worst bruise, though, was on the inside of her knee. It was almost black it was so dark of a purple.

"Hey, Baby Girl, you still alive in there?" Zig Zag's voice startled her.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll be out in a second," Drew replied, drying the rest of her body quickly and re-equipping herself with the knee and wrist braces, throwing the orange jumpsuit and a t-shirt on over it all. Gathering all her belongings, she unlocked the door and joined Zig Zag on the other side. They walked silently back to the tent.

This time, it was deserted. Kris' bed was bare and the crates under it empty, Kris was absent. He was no doubt settling himself in F Tent and then would be on his way to the rec room soon enough. Drew felt Zig Zag behind her but didn't turn around. Instead, she leaned back onto his chest. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and arms.

"Glad he's gone?" he murmured above Drew, as he rested his head atop hers.

"Unbelievably," she agreed, nodding.

"You seriously hate him, don't you?" the taller boy asked.

Drew nodded, rocking Zig Zag's head on top of hers. "You would too." She pulled away from him and gave him a half smile, turning to go to her cot to leave her things there.

The rec room was busy, as usual. A small fight going on near the weights, a game of pool being played by four boys, a group of people watching the TV.

"Baby Girl!" a voice called happily from behind her. She turned to face Carp, who was grinning ear to ear. "Finally finished digging, huh?"

"Barely," Drew said dryly and let Carp hug her lightly.

"Should have let me help you," he argued. Drew only shrugged and smiled. He kissed her lightly on the forehead before releasing her and trudging over to the weights where one of the boys was trapped beneath two hundred pounds on an iron stick. Drew smiled and made her way over to the couches. She dropped down beside a random person and let her eyes be drawn to the television. On the new TV Zig Zag was not the only person who could see Martha Stewart or Homer Simpson, though, since the camp didn't have cable, their channel choices were limited and had a tenancy to change. Right now it was a crappy shot of Life With Derek, a new TV show Drew supposed must have premiered while she'd been in "detention".

"How are you feeling?"

The voice beside her startled her. She was sure she'd left all her friends at the pool table. She glanced at the person next to her and found Spider gazing at her from beneath the curtain of black-as-night hair, through his dark, sunken eyes.

"Y-Yes," Drew stuttered, then cursed herself. Why was she stuttering? He didn't scare her nearly as much as he had when he'd arrived. "I mean – I'm fine." She swore she saw a flicker of something close to amusement in the blank eyes searing a hole in her, but then it was gone. The boy nodded slowly, falling back into silence, and walked away.

Drew sat down on the couch beside Squid, who draped an arm over her shoulders. "Finally! You're back! We were wondering if we'd have to send out a search party!" Drew smiled and shook her head, relaxing back against the boy while he talked to one of their fellow inmates and she zoned out, staring at a burn mark on the floor in front of her.

"Some birthday, huh?" a voice asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Huh?" Drew asked, startled, tearing her eyes away from the bun mark, blinking, and focusing on the person next to her. She was surprised to find it was Twitch.

"I said 'Some birthday, huh?'," he repeated patiently. Drew smiled and shrugged.

"I'm sure I've has worse," she said to him.

"I don't know, Baby Girl, you got beaten up pretty badly," he said. Again she shrugged.

"I'll survive," she assured him, shoving him playfully.

"If you say so," the boy said skeptically.

"I say so," she said, "So don't worry about me, I'm fine." Twitch shrugged and walked away, but he'd gotten her thinking. In her mind she reviewed her birthdays. None really stuck out. All of them had been the normal birthdays with her family and friends giving her presents on the big day, well wishers stopping by or calling to say happy birthday, a birthday party, balloons, cake. Then she hit her thirteenth birthday. She'd been with Kris then. She remembered he'd come over to her house for the day and they'd been happy. She still found it hard to see how their brake-up had been so ugly. She couldn't understand how he'd been so sweet with her for so long, but been terrible to everyone else she knew. His true colours had shone through when they'd broken up, however. She was jarred from her thoughts when Squid shifted beside her. She looked up at him questioningly.

"It's dinner time, didn't you hear the bell?" he asked, brow creasing as Drew shook her head. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked suspiciously.

She nodded saying, "Yeah, I'm just tired is all." It was obvious that Squid didn't believe her, but he nodded anyways and led her to the dining hall.

It turns out she hadn't been lying completely when she'd said she was tired. After dinner was over she was exhausted and could barely change into her pajamas once she got back to the tent. Though they usually stayed up until their power was cut off, she climbed into her cot and was asleep within seconds.

And the nightmares played in her mind.

_When she woke up she was being lifted onto a stretcher, her arm bandaged tightly to stem the blood-flow. She felt the cool metal of handcuffs around one of her wrists, the other cuff was attached to the side bar of the stretcher. An IV was in that same hand, crimson liquid dripping into it from a baggy full of blood hanging above her head._

_"This one's awake!" someone yelled over her. She groaned and stirred, raising her free hand to her face to wipe the water off of it, only to be replaced with more as the rain continued to pound down upon them._

_"What's going on?" she grunted, but no one answered her. A chill wracked her body as everything came back to her and she sat up quickly, ignoring the feelings of pins and needles piercing her skin everywhere. "Where's Jay?" she demanded, loudly._

_"Lie down!" someone yelled at her over the rumbling thunder above them. A flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the alleyway. It was a scene from a horror film. Cops swarmed the place, paramedics rushing past her and between people, stretchers supporting her friends and enemies were being loaded and wheeled towards her, cameras flashing, shouting, crying, screams of pain. She looked to her left and to her right. She was in a line-up of stretchers, ambulances were parked on the streets at the ends of the alley, their lights flashing. The fluorescent yellow of police tape blocked off the openings and people were crowded around, watching in horror as more and more stretchers emerged from the scene in front of them and were loaded into ambulances. Sirens sounded everywhere._

_"No! Where's Jay?" she shouted again._

_"He's dead, Drew," a voice whispered from beside her. She took a double-take at the stretcher on her right. It was Bryan. He was covered in blood, a wound in his abdomen bloomed crimson on his blue t-shirt, so red it was black. He took a gasping, gurgling breath that Drew didn't like the sound of and continued. "You saw it, I saw it. Simone slit his throat."_

_"I killed her," she said numbly. Bryan nodded and forced a smile onto his ghostly-white face._

_"I know," he said and took another rattling breath. "Listen to me, you have to tell them that I killed Malcom, alright? Mel didn't. You hear me?" Mel was his girlfriend. Drew had never seen love like the love between Mel and Bryan_

_"Why can't you tell them?" Drew said, tears prickling her eyes. The first one rolled down her cheek, mixing with the rain. She knew why._

_Bryan was going to die._

_"Please, Drew?" Bryan pleaded, reaching out to her with his free hand. Drew nodded, grabbing his hand hard and squeezing it._

_"Please don't die, Bryan, please, we need you," she pleaded, her own tears choking her as she gasped for air. _

_"I'll be okay, Drew, just do this for me?" he begged. The light was already fading from his eyes._

_"Help!" Drew screamed at the paramedics around her. One took notice and rushed over._

_"Please, Drew?" Bryan repeated._

_"Yes," she assured him before her hand was wrenched away from Bryan as the paramedic took over, yelling orders and tending to the leader of their group. Drew watched as Bryan's life ebbed away. His eyes closed, he stopped breathing. Finally the paramedics fell back._

_With a defeated sigh one of them declared, "Time of death: four oh one AM, April 1st, 2004." Drew's head fell onto her chest and any strength she had left failed her. She fell back onto the cot, tears leaking into the mattress and melding with the rain still coming down hard._

Her eyes opened into the darkness of D Tent. She felt her eyes. They were wet. So was her pillow. She'd been crying in her sleep, but she'd stopped when she'd woken up. She sat up in bed, throwing the covers off of her and simply sat there, her legs dangling over the edge, her elbows on her knees, her face in her hands. She sat still for a while before she felt someone climb onto her bed behind her. He settled his legs on either side of her and his arms wrapped around her stomach. He kissed her temple and rocked her back and forth slightly, soothingly, not saying a word. She turned her head towards him and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent and leaning back against him. They sat like that for a long time before Drew took a deep breath, readying herself.

"He was my brother," she said, choking back tears, but they came unbidden anyways silently coursing down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. "He died two years ago, today."

**Author's Note** Okay, so there's Chapter 18 after nine long months of waiting. Did I disappoint? Let me know in a review, pretty, pretty, pretty please?


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